Seeing Past Darkness
by xbluxmoonx
Summary: Six years before it all went downhill, before life changed for everyone in this mess, it was simple. But one Sheikah decided to make it the complete opposite, dooming everyone involved. prequel to Seeing Truth
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Zelda related, all dreams of that long gone.

Enjoy the story.

_**Seeing Past Darkness**_

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Prologue

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_"Have you heard the legend of the 'Shadow Folk'?... They are the Sheikah...the shadows of the Hylians. They say they swore allegiance to the King of Hyrule and guarded the Royal Family. But with the long peace, no one has seen a Sheikah around here for a long time." _-Old Man in Hyrule Castle Town, _Ocarina of Time_

Six years before it all went downhill, before life changed for everyone involved in this mess, it started out simple. Eliminate the problem: that problem was as little as a problem as it should have been. Zelda knew it, Impa knew it, all Hylians and Sheikahs knew it- even the Blake family knew it. It was meant to be finished in a few weeks' worth. Track down the problem, follow the problem home, exterminate the problem. Simple as that, right?

But it didn't happen that way. John Blake, Sheikah, refused to take care of the problem. It wasn't right by him to kill some ten-year-old girl that was as innocent as any normal, human kid. Of course, she wasn't normal- not exactly. When the time came, she would obtain a scar. One so dark in color and abnormality that even the most skilled tattoo artist wouldn't be able to recreate it. Not a normal type of scar, but one that had a life of itself. It grew in length and strength, and inked the bearer's skin in a void of black wherever it stretched to. When the bearer died, the scar would overtake the body, and look for a new one wherever it could find one.

This scar, before you decide on leaving, may I tell you- was created by the goddesses- to give power to that bearer to kill the entire Sheikah race. The Sheikah, a doomed race, had to find security for the Royal Family, and do anything to stay alive.

This is why the girl was such a problem, and that's why the Royal Family declared the family criminals, sending them packing out of Hyrule and into the real world. This is why there are so many parts to the "Seeing Truth" story, why it took so long to figure out the inevitable would happen anyway, no matter how long it took, and why they were all doomed to begin with.

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The colors were easy to distinguish: reds, yellows, blues, purples, greens- the whole rainbow and more. But he couldn't form the faces, the shapes, the actual people. Where was the chatter, the noise of city life? Hyrule Castle Town was just a blur of unidentified crap that he couldn't create, couldn't form into something real.

He was getting aggravated. It was hopeless.

"Give it up, Kenny," his older brother sneered, plopping down next to him on the old, Victorian-styled couch with the pink and beige flower patterns, "You couldn't create an entire world in your head even if you spent your entire life on it."

The twelve year old grimaced, sighing in irritation, "You're an asshole, Ryuichi."

The older boy laughed, ruffling Kenny's black hair, "Mom said it could take a while for you to learn, being in this mundane little world."

"I know," Kenny narrowed his eyes, the reds of his irises darkening, "But it's crap." He grabbed the remote to the television set and switched it on. "Why can't I make it like that?" He mused, watching the 'mundane' faces on the screen with amazement, "I want it to be real, like it'll suck you in any second."

"Humans watch this every day," Ryuichi scoffed in disdain, "It's just acting- just another fake life people put on for mere entertainment, for money. Besides, Dad wouldn't want you to get ideas from _this_."

"If they don't like it here," Kenny whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of audience laughter in the background, "why don't we go back?" A car horn beeped outside the house, near the garage, distracting him.

Ryuichi shrugged, making a casual move as if to run a hand through his midnight-colored hair- but at the last moment reached over and snatched the remote from Kenny's grasp. "I overheard Dad's on a mission."

Kenny frowned; forgetting to tackle him like he usually did after Ryuichi pulled a stunt like that. Instead, he furrowed his eyebrows and leaned a little closer, "What mission?"

The older boy, looking more like his twin if he was a bit shorter and had more freckles around his nose, felt a little bit of mischief well up in his chest. He hid the small smirk growing on his lips and nodded in continuation of his little bit of gossip; "The Royal Family sent Dad to go look for someone," he stated, eyes glistening from the light entering from the side window, bringing in the little bit of light that peeked through the dark, gray clouds into the large house, "Mom won't say a thing, but I think Dad is trying to avoid it." He grinned, his pearly whites now covered with black-banded braces- due for his first check up-, as he neared the best part.

"Why?" Kenny's interest had indefinitely peeked, "Who are they looking for?"

"The Bearer…" the front door slammed open.

Ryuichi had straightened up, a bored expression back on his features as he switched the channel. A tall, middle-aged man entered, eyes charcoal, gaze bewildered, and carrying two bags of groceries- one in each arm.

"You two want to sit on your asses all day or get some exercise?" John Blake said, turning to see them on the couch, a smirk warming his features.

"Right, dad," Ryuichi stood up, ready to help, but Kenny was rigid, his eyes wide. Everything was flooding in, cascading like a waterfall ready to overbear him shoddily enough that he couldn't concentrate on reality- that everything completely vanished into oblivion- only...

A brown-haired boy was running past him on a gray cobblestone pathway, trailing behind him was a large, wooden cart with wobbly, squeaky wheels. Kenny's eye twitched the slightest bit- unbeknownst to him, and the wooden wheels gave way. The boy cried out, frustrated, dark eyes overfilling with tears. A dog barked angrily, fur bristled but matted with dirt and water; a girl with fiery red hair ran after him, hands out in front, as she ignored her beer-bellied father. A bald thief had plucked an antique vase from a merchant stand, and the merchant was reaching for his dagger. There would be a fight, if Kenny wanted there to be one. He just watched it unfold, like a movie reeling in front of his own eyes. The dagger rested at the man's throat, one small slice away, but it couldn't happen- the soldiers would come. Order had been set firmly down on the town. Armored-clad men whisked past, blocking his view. The thief was taken away, the vase grasped from his dirty and raw fingers.

The soldiers stomped away, the criminal screaming and wailing in protest as they dragged him along, his valuables left in a brown, burlap sack forgotten on the merchant's stand, and that merchant would undoubtedly get rich in benefit of it. They disappeared down the castle walkway, and the gates closed. Three seconds later, it didn't matter anymore; townsfolk had forgotten. Beside the Temple entrance was another merchant stand, un-plagued by sticky fingers and nosy passer-byers. A Sheikah boy with violet eyes stood behind the wooden counter, eyes glistening as his twin sister shooed off another customer.

They looked familiar, being in the first grade class of Kenny's junior high, but Kenny was too busy wondering why six year olds owned a shop in the market. They grew five inches. _Perfect_, he thought. And then someone walked up to him, blurry face unrecognizable, as the person yelled something in his face.

"Yo, Kenny!" Ryuichi punched his arm, but the boy didn't respond. Instead, he slipped to his side on the couch in the black world, unconscious, but still awake in the other.

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I know I said January but I couldn't wait. It'll take longer to upload later chapters because of finals but I just wanted to get this up. Anyway, as you can probably tell- I'm hinting at a lot of things that happen in the past three stories- "Seeing Truth",  
Seeing Lies" and "Seeing All or Nothing". The two kids with the violet eyes, the bald thief is from OOT, and the red-haired girl is Malon. No, I don't know why she's chasing a dog. But that doesn't mean they are all the way they are in Jade's dream. Things change here and there. Hopefully the confusion will lessen as we go further in depth in the story. Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think and review and come back, kay? Also, I'm juggling titles. Anyone think of anything better I would love to hear, so the title may change and all. Anyway, happy new year!


	2. Off the Marker

_**Seeing Past Darkness**_

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Chapter 1: Off the Marker

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_Four years later…_

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Summer beat on his back mercilessly, the rays blinding him, forcing him to narrow his eyes and wipe his brow. He had been squatting low on the building rooftop for about an hour. At least, Kenny thought it had been an hour. He checked his watch, and then suppressed an urge to curse out a torrent of words that would have been censored otherwise. _12:29_, his watch read. He had been there since 12:10, watching- "stalking" if his brother had a say in it any longer. His parents, however, called it "protecting the subject." He snorted noiselessly, sucking in a breath of humid air. Gazing back at the crowd, he wondered absentmindedly why he couldn't be amongst his own crowd in his own high school. Instead, he stood- _sat_ watching this poor excuse of a human girl raise up a storm with the hottest blonde he had ever laid eyes upon- excluding Princess Zelda, of course.

Legs and feet aching, he gave up and slid down, letting part of his back lean against the building's raised wall, enough for him to hide behind so that only part of his head peeked out, his hair sticking out here and there where sweat hadn't matted it down. The air conditioner installed on the rooftop hummed loudly nearby, and he could only imagine the coldness of the walls inside the Math building and the tickle of cool air against his skin. _Only September_, he thought, airing out his damp, black shirt as it stuck like tape to his chest and back.

There was a commotion below, words like "bitch" and "slut" and "fight" were uttered with malevolent tones and anticipated speed that made the Sheikah scramble to his hands and knees. The dirt and grime sticking to his clothes and skin grated against him as if to tell him he needed to get off – he wasn't supposed to be up on the rooftop of a high school building spying on a girl that should have had nothing to do with him.

The crowd was growing, and the malicious glares the two were giving each other were seemed to add "you'd be dead" to the saying "If looks could kill". Kenny sighed, remembering his parents' words on protecting the "subject". They hadn't told him why, or for how long, and he hadn't bothered to ask, too angry to care. Ryuichi had gotten out of it, again. "Final exams", he had said. Kenny snorted, _yeah right._ But as he had stumbled in his room, preparing to pack for necessities, he couldn't help but realize that this probably had something to do with John's "mission".

He shook his head in dismay, grabbing his duffel bag, and slipped off the rooftop and down the fire escape, unnoticed.

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"Fight, fight, fight," a group of freshmen jeered, faces flushed with blood and acne, eyes wide with anticipation.

"Oh, shut up!" the brunette snapped at them, narrowing her eyes to match the ferocity of her voice. She was hiding her amusement, however. He could tell.

The blonde by now had taken this time to come up with a silly remark, hoping to outwit the one before her. She opened her mouth to speak, but the other girl had already begun her own.

"You come near me, again, Liyanne, and that pretty blonde hair of yours will be strewn everywhere on campus." Her middle and index fingers snapped together like scissors. _Snip, snip…_ Kenny smiled, unable to help himself, as a bit of excitement welled in his chest. _At least she's not a total bore_, he mused, passing a small group of upperclassmen curious as to what was happening as well. Among them was a couple; the guy was built- football player maybe, hiding behind the thin "film" of his white t-shirt while his girlfriend was wrapped in his arms. They were watching in bemusement, as if freshmen fights were common…

"Hey," the guy called, swatting Kenny's arm. The Sheikah was relieved he had changed into a clean blue t-shirt and jeans. "You know what's going on this time?"

Kenny put on a face of mild bewilderment. _Not at all, I was just spying on the chick from the Mathematics building._ "I don't know, heard some freshmen are starting something again."

The girl in his arms scowled; pretty pink lipstick glistening in the hot sun. He'd hate to have to kiss a girl with sticky lips. "I hate freshmen."

"Weren't you a freshman once?" Kenny hadn't meant to let it slip, but he shut his mouth and moved forward, avoiding the girl's glare and the guy's small smirk.

He pushed past a girl with curly red hair and stumbled lightly to the front, behind a few sweating backs, including the brunette's.

"I hope you choke, Walker," the blonde called Liyanne was clenching her fists angrily.

"Harsh!" a boy from behind him called. Some oo'd, others began to jeer some more.

"Low, Liyanne," Walker shook her head, clearly unfazed- or at least hiding her hurt, "I thought you were better than that."

The blonde's gaze turned helpless for those mere seconds, as boo's resounded in her direction. Walker took this as a chance to leave, a smile growing on her chapped lips. She turned around and walked into the crowd, brushing past him, head down and cheeks burning. He thought for a moment if he should follow her, his eyes lingering on her back as she continued to push through the throng. A few sent her dirty looks; others patted her arms or head, congratulating her. She didn't seem too happy about it. The only words forming in her mouth finished halfway before beginning again another that flopped to the ground, unheard. No one cared enough to hear what she had to say.

By the time he stopped watching her, seeing her resign to her hang out spot by the wall, the crowd had dispersed. He panicked, turning around and stalking off. He was near the entrance of the school, but then he realized he would have to go the back way, push those damn heavy, prison-like double doors to escape before security caught him. But before he could even pass the brunette's hang-out spot to reach the exit, someone had grabbed hold of his arm, jerking him to the side and bumping his head with something hard.

"Ouch," the person said, voice extremely familiar as it was feminine, the kind that made you feel downright like a man if you were a boy, and a boy if you were a girl, "_You_…" Kenny's eyes widened, meeting dark green ones. "I saw you smiling," she sneered, grabbing his collar and pulling him toward her, leaving very little personal space, "I'll give you something better than that…"

And she dragged him down the campus, toward a place he hadn't ventured before. It was deserted, students less and security too far away. Before he knew what she was doing, she had him pinned to the wall, pressing her chest into his to get a better look at him. His heartbeat raced, hands shaking. This wasn't supposed to happen at all, what was he thinking, anyway?

"You know," she drawled, trailing a slim finger down the side of his chin before reaching his neck, "I've never seen you around before." Goosebumps trailed up his arms.

"The school is pretty big, how would you know?" Being rude was all he could think of doing. A perfect tactic at the time.

She furrowed her eyebrows for a moment, but it was soon replaced with an irresistible smirk. "I think I would have seen _you_ around before. Are you new?"

He was sweating, again, and he had her pressed against him. "Yeah," he held the stutter away from his voice.

_Stay calm_, he repeated over and over in his head, but he knew he wasn't supposed to be seen. What had possessed him, anyway, going down there?

She smiled, a small laugh escaping her perfect pink lips, "Well, I guess I should show you around, then, hmm?"

"I, uhm…" Now, he really couldn't help but stutter. "I don't think I have the time for that."

She leaned forward, more than she already was, and placed her warm lips against his neck. His arms went rigid for a moment, unsure anymore what to do. _Just throw her off_, a part of him screamed in his head; the other part of him didn't quite agree.

"Then…" she spoke in between kisses, "Why…don't _I_…show you…a good time?"

_During school??_

The words didn't form, and it was too late by then. He had wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her further against him. He let her reach his jaw, as he began to run a hand up to her hair, letting the soft, golden curls slip through his fingers. And then, before she even prepared for it, he kissed her. It was soft at first, but he pressed harder, closing his eyes, and relinquishing in her warmth. She moaned softly, feeling something ever familiar well in her chest.

The bell rang, involuntarily pulling them apart. She parted from him reluctantly, eyes wide with amazement, lip-gloss smeared. "I know somewhere better than here. Meet me by the gate after school."

He grinned, eyes gleaming with excitement. He just couldn't say "no" to her. "I'll be waiting."

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_Five-fifteen_… He was late. His first date since they moved, and he was late. He grabbed his wallet, stuffing it into his jeans. Now, all he needed was his cell phone.

"Where you going so fast, Kenny?" Ryuichi peeked into his brother's room, eyebrows raised in curiosity. He hadn't seen his brother this excited since they went to…well; he hadn't _ever_ seen his brother this excited.

"I'm late, I'm late," he muttered, franticly scurrying around his room, checking under his bed, throwing piles of clothes out of the way.

"Talk about Alice in Wonderland, dude," Ryuichi scratched his chin, bored, "Tea party?"

Kenny smirked, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "Don't you have some chick to play tongue hockey with?"

"Hey," Ryuichi glared, "Mom hears you and she'll kill me. Besides, you caught me at a bad moment."

"Right," Kenny's eyes widened, seeing the little contraption he had been searching for, "Sweet." And picked up the cell phone from where it lay haphazardly on a mounting pile of clothes on his dresser.

"Oh, yeah," the older brother leaned against the door frame, the actual door pushed aside long ago, "Mom says be back before ten."

"Sure," Kenny muttered, stuffing the cell phone into his back pocket. Now, he needed his shoes.

"Mom threw your shoes in the closet…"

"Right," he smiled at his brother, and then prepared to slide open the closet door. He hoped his books were stacked away this time, and a few wouldn't drop on his head like the last time he tried opening his closet door.

"So," Ryuichi began, eyes gleaming, "What's the girl's name?"

"Liyanne," Kenny blurted out before turning around in shock, "How'd you know I was seeing a girl?"

The older boy shrugged, "I just remembered the last time I had seen you this excited."

"Oh, yeah," Kenny jutted out his chin, defiant, "When?"

"When we went to visit the princess…" Kenny's chest fizzed out, and Ryuichi grinned, proud he had figured out the boy's secret, "You remember, don't you, bro?"

"Whatever," and he turned around to find his shoes, "She's too old for me, anyway,"

"Ahh," Ryuichi laughed, "I wouldn't say that. You're catching up, remember?"

Kenny stopped for a moment, glancing behind him before shaking his head and lunging for his shoes, the ones stacked precariously on a shelf of chaotic-looking books. "I don't care about her, anymore, man. This girl is, like, _amazing_."

"Really, now?" Ryuichi questioned. His curiosity was growing, "Can I meet her?"

Kenny whirled around, back straightening, eyes firm; "Hell, no!"

"Oh, come _on_," Ryuichi whined, pouting his lips, "_Please…_?"

The younger one sighed than looked away to slip on his sneakers, deciding to hop on one foot to finish the task. "I'll think about it," he grumbled slowly, knowing he would regret it.

"Awesome," Ryuichi gleamed, "Anyway, I'll be borrowing your games for a bit. Studying kills. I think I need a break."

Kenny glimpsed at him in bemusement- halfway of tying the knot of his left sneaker. "Yeah, whatever. Just don't break your thumb or something."

Ryuichi laughed, turning his back to Kenny, "Yeah, I'll try not to. That damn controller for your Nintendo can hurt like hell."

Kenny rolled his eyes before plopping down to finish his other shoe off.

"Finally," he whispered to no one in particular, before jumping up and turning the lights off.

"Hey, bro, I forgot to tell you something… Your games suck so I …" Ryuichi raised an eyebrow as he reached his brother's room, "Kenny?" Flicking the light on, he realized it was empty- void of any living thing that is…. well, he hoped, anyway. He shook his head. "Damn nerd."

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"I'm so sorry I'm…" Kenny didn't have a chance to finish, as the strawberry-smelling blonde girl he had been waiting all afternoon for bombarded him.

"Who cares about that," she whispered into his ear before pressing her lips against his once again. "I missed you so much…" she breathed, running a hand through his feathery-soft hair.

"Maybe we should take this somewhere else," he suggested, grazing her arm before leaning in to brush his lips along the nape of her neck.

She laughed, her lip-gloss once perfected now a mess; "I think you have a point."

And they rushed into the movie theatre. Kenny hoped they picked the dullest movie playing.

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Thank you all for the awesome reviews and faves! I'm so glad you guys stuck around and I hope you do until the last chapter and keep reviewing, kay? I really want to know what you think! Anyway, the next chapter might be late- final exams and all. But stay posted, kay:)


	3. The Truth Hurts

**Seeing Past Darkness**

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Chapter 2: The Truth Hurts

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_"The truth will always make you cry…"_

October. The leaves were falling to the ground in an array of reds and oranges and browns. Hyrule would be reveling in different weather, but Kenny couldn't remember what exactly. The whole time change thing was still complicated to him, and he still couldn't get used to the fact that he was as old as Zelda and her brother. In no time at all, it seemed, he would pass them. He felt old.

"What's the matter, baby?" Liyanne cooed into his chest, hand intertwining with his hair as she gazed up at him with wide, innocent, beautiful eyes.

He smiled, forgetting everything else. "Nothing, nothing at all."

She laughed softly, resting her head against his chest again. The view beyond his window was fleeting. Literally. For him, life was passing by in a flash. He kissed the top of the girl's head, lingering for a moment in the warmth.

"What should we do today?" he asked her, eyes drooping. He had the entire house to himself that day, and Kenny hadn't wasted any time to invite Liyanne over.

"Hmm," she placed a finger under her bottom lip, thinking, "I was just thinking of a way to get back at Jade on Monday."

He sighed; it was a usual occurrence, to hear Liyanne talking about her enemy. Lucky for him she didn't know he and his family were protecting her. "Why don't you put glue on her pencil or something?"

She snorted, "Oh, come on, I need something way better than that!" And then she quieted, her shoulders drooping, "Whatever, I don't need to care about her when I'm around you."

He smiled, wrapping his arms tighter around her and leaning in to kiss the top of her head. "Same here…" he whispered incoherently into her hair, so that even a few stray strands would never hear his confession.

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Kenny always wondered why his family was one of the remaining of its kind. Ever since he was little, he would ask his parents, or even Impa. They would give him the same look; their eyes, clouded over in a mysterious shade of red, seemed to tell everything. The truth was hard to hide, when it was hardly bearable to keep. Massacred. Simply killed by the millions- until none were left, until his town of birth had been slaughtered of its people and then burnt to the ground, turned to ash. Nearly extinct, a few had escaped. One included his great grandparents, another Impa, and another woman and her children. Once the woman was found, near death, his great grandparents had housed her and her children, until one of them grew old enough to marry a girl from the village. So on and so forth, so that it led to his parents. That's how his family survived, when everyone else passed away. No grandparents, no uncles or aunts, or nephews or nieces. Just his parents- John and Carrie, and his brother, Ryuichi, and himself were left.

So the longer they lasted, the longer their race continued. He liked the fact that they were the only ones left, but what would it matter when you were in the real world, and no one knew of you? Complicatedly a stupid idea. He tossed it away. He wanted there to be more Sheikah where he came from, more he could relate to. But everyone looked down on him, told him it was none of his business anymore. "You were born to serve the Royal Family," was all he heard, "That's all that matters, now."

Forget war; forget the misery that is caused. Just know the truth. _You're here, now, aren't you_? Whatever he was doing, was for the Royal Family, was to protect them, and most importantly, Zelda. If they wanted him to protect that girl, if she had _anything_ to do with the Royal Family, then he would do it.

If only he knew how much misery the truth caused.

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It was three o' clock in the morning. Everyone was asleep in the house. Well, almost everyone. Ryuichi couldn't sleep. The second night in a week. Already it was becoming a nuisance. He hadn't had this much trouble sleeping since they moved, and he wasn't sure of the problem this time. It couldn't have been because he broke his brother's Nintendo controller trying to beat him at Mario Party. I mean, seriously. He apologized! It wasn't as if Kenny was great with electronics, either. They both had problems fixing anything- not to mention working a cell phone sometimes.

He sighed, rubbing his sore eyes. They felt dry, like he had kept the glamour on too long over his eyes. But usually, that would make his eyeballs itchy. His eyes were just so sore.

"Damn it," he flung the covers off, taking a few seconds to untangle it from his legs, before trudging to the bathroom down the hall.

Flipping the light switch, although he hardly needed it, he peered at his eyes. Iris: red, eye whites: marked red with veins.

"Perfect," he grumbled, turning on the faucet to splash water on his face and eyes, hoping the coolness would calm the soreness down.

He groped for the faucet handles, unable to see with water drenching his face, to turn the faucet off. But he didn't have a chance to, because it creaked away from his fingertips. Goosebumps formed on his arms, hardly from the cold water.

"Feeling better, Ryuichi?" a familiar voice scoffed.

He jumped away, eyes flying open to catch a head of blonde hair through the mirror over the sink.

"Did I scare you?" she prodded, rose lips forming a sneer, as she closed the bathroom door. It clicked softly shut behind her, as her back rested against the wooden door. "I didn't mean to come so late, you know. But the time change makes a huge difference."

"What are you doing here, princess?" He hadn't meant for it to sound so crude, but shock still gripped at his heart, leaving his limbs ready for a fight.

She smiled, pearly whites gleaming in the soft glow of the bathroom light; "I came to visit. It's been a few months…." Her eyes traveled him up and down- "a few years… You have grown a lot."

"Is that all?" Ryuichi folded his arms across his chest, trying to ignore the uncomfortable fact that he was wearing a white t-shirt and boxers in front of the princess of Hyrule.

She shook her head, shifting her eyes to his before walking toward him, ankle-high skirt trailing along with her, "No, no. I came here to tell you something, something very important."

He cocked his head to one side; lifting an eyebrow in response, as if to say, _go on._

"Since your father failed to do his job, and he put you in his place," she began, her voice low, pensive, uncaring as to why he was about ready to interrupt her, "I would like to enlighten you on what you need to do for us, for me."

Her sparkling blue eyes held his, as if daring him to speak. He did, while backing away from her; "I already know what I'm supposed to do."

"Oh?"

"I'm supposed to watch over the girl…" _even though Kenny's doing that half the time…_

"Really?" she questioned in feigned ignorance, "And when do you plan on disposing her?"

His eyes widened in confusion, mouth agape, "Wh-what?"

She laughed quietly, stepping around him and toward the tub surrounded by marble tile; "I knew your father hadn't told you this. You aren't supposed to _protect_ her, Ryuichi Blake. You are supposed to _kill_ her."

"But, why?" he said, eyes narrowing in bewilderment.

"Because she is the Bearer, that's why," she replied, growing impatient, "She's a threat to the Sheikah race, which puts the Royal family under threat as well."

His expression hadn't changed on the matter. He had heard perfectly well the word the "Bearer", but never knew what it was exactly, or who.

"The Bearer," she glared at him, "is a Sheikah that is born with one purpose in life- to exterminate the entire Sheikah race. During the Hyrulean War, the first Bearer was able to wipe out nearly the entire race, disguised as a Hylian, other times a Gerudo. Once he was killed, ten years passed before another was born. And so on, and so on…" She glanced up at him wondering if he was listening, before continuing on, "We've been able to track her down, you see, and your father was given the task to dispose of her before she became a threat. Unfortunately, he went against us at the last minute, and fled to the real world." She grimaced, eyes roving the walls of the bathroom perimeter. "Not exactly the best choice."

"And what do you want me to do?" The question was a pointless one; he knew what was coming, what he had to do. Question was- did he want to?

"Kill her, Ryuichi Blake," she replied nonchalantly, as if she _hadn't_ just said what she had. "Before it gets out of hand, before she regains her power. And if you don't, she'll grow in strength, remembering her past life as all those other Bearers that were killed. If you don't…" she stopped in front of him, eyes cold, shoulders tense, "You'll be labeled a traitor, like your parents."

"I…" Tongue-tied. What could he say to that? How could he kill anyone, not to mention a defenseless, human girl?

Zelda saw his reluctance, and her lips formed into a smirk, "I know it is hard, Ryuichi. But, just think. If you don't dispose of her, then she'll come after you… She will kill you and your entire family in _cold_ blood. Once she is finished wiping the blood off her hands, she will come to Hyrule, come after Impa. The Royal Family counts on the Sheikah race. Ryuichi. We may hardly show our gratitude, but…" her voice lowered, as she stepped closer to him, leaving little space between them; "We are _very_ grateful."

He saw the malice in her eyes, the truth that she held. He tried to back away from her, for fear of getting lost in those blue orbs that wrenched at his heart, but instead- he bumped into the countertop, and into her.

She ignored his mishap, and leaned against him, staring into his eyes. She would get the point across. "Do this for your kind, Ryuichi, for those you must honor. Without honor, there is nothing, there is no you. _Do it_ before it is too late. We count on you. Your allegiance to the King of Hyrule hasn't gone unnoticed."

He faltered again, his gaze trying to land anywhere but there. But it was too late. There was no longer soreness in his eyes; instead, it overflowed and absolutely _burned_ with the truth. He knew what would happen if he didn't obey her. It was his duty. Forever and ever, his sworn allegiance would always belong to the King…and to her.

His eyes watered, a tear from each eye dripped off his eyelashes, staining his pale cheeks.

He nodded grimly, eyes closing- anything to keep the pain away. His answer may have been left in his throat, unvoiced. But, she knew. The truth always hurt, especially when one's death is involved.

"Good," she murmured, wiping the tears away with a cold hand, "Impa will be glad to know you have agreed."

The sign was all that was needed from him; the tears on her hands enough to prove it had been accomplished, that it would go through.

She nodded in satisfaction, eyes aglow with hidden intentions, and left.

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Sorry for the super short chapter, but there was a lot of point to make. I got a lot of tips on the background on Sheikahs from and kairi irl, and added my own spin to it. Check it out if you like. It's really interesting stuff. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, short it may be. Stick around, and thank you for the awesome reviews!

P.S I even came up with a motto:points up: Nifty, neh?


	4. Happy Early Birthday

**_Seeing Past Darkness_**

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Chapter 3: Happy Early Birthday

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_Only a minute left_, Kenny couldn't believe it. He would be sixteen in _two_ minutes. As old as Zelda- almost, anyway. _That had _just_ crossed my mind_, he tried to reason to himself. He didn't care how old Zelda was; what he _did_ care about though was the fact that Liyanne couldn't make it to his mini-birthday party. It was stupid, really, but his birthday just _had_ to be on a Monday, when everyone was busy at work or school.

Thirty more seconds… 

"It's just sixteen, damn," Ryuichi muttered, walking into the living room with a can of soda in one hand and a plate of cake in the other.

"Well, it's a big deal to me," Kenny scoffed, eyes narrowing to steal a glance at the clock ticking away above the forty inch plasma television docked on the wall. "And I can't believe mom and dad are already asleep."

Ryuichi rolled his eyes, trying to keep from snorting in laughter. Like he would care whose birthday it was anymore. Shouldn't Kenny have been worrying about other things- like the girl? He sat down on the floor, content near the coffee table to place his midnight snack, before grabbing the remote control and flicking the TV on.

"Dude," Kenny flicked Ryuichi's head, ready to wrestle for the remote, "Turn on CSI or something. I heard there's a marathon."

Ryuichi snorted, keeping the remote just barely out of reach from Kenny's grasp, "Yeah, right. I don't feel like looking at plastic bodies and fake autopsies and unrealistic computing devices."

"Ooh," the now sixteen year-old drawled sarcastically, "Touchy, Chi-chi."

Ryuichi turned around to glare up at his young brother, eyebrows furrowed, "Don't call me that!"

Kenny laughed, leaning forward in a flurry to snatch the remote. Ryuichi was faster, ducking forward and rolling away, brushing just barely the coffee table- set with his soda and deserted cake.

"Damn," Kenny leaned back, into the couch, eyes roving over the clock, "I missed it!"

"What were you going to do?" Ryuichi said, standing up, "Give me a kiss? Cause I'm not into that, okay?"

Kenny snorted, taking the soda from the table, and ignoring Ryuichi's irritated gaze. "Oh well, I was hoping Liyanne was here."

"I saw her yesterday," the elder one pondered, plopping down on the couch, "She seemed kind of…"-his face contorted a little, nose scrunching up, lips pouting- "clingy."

"Clingy?" Kenny repeated it over, letting it linger on his tongue for a moment; "Liyanne? Clingy?" He could only think of her glimmering green eyes and pouty lips and sweet-smelling blonde hair. "Nah… I'll show you a clingy girlfriend any day."

Ryuichi rolled his eyes, sighing.

There was a moment of silence, each lost in thought about something different, but still thinking about a girl. If only Ryuichi's thoughts were less darker. His eyes began to water, again; Zelda's voice ringing through his ears like she was still there, whispering to him what he had to do.

He shook his head, and then turned to Kenny, who had- in the meanwhile- snatched the remote from the floor and switched it to CSI. Yeah, there was a marathon, all right. "So, Kenny…" The said boy turned to look at him, eyebrows raised in curiosity, "How's the girl doing, exactly?"

Kenny sent him an inquisitive stare before answering, "Um, fine, I guess. She's a little boring to watch sometimes. Although it's funny to see her in a fight with Liyanne." He smirked, remembering the first day he had met the blonde girl.

The older brother hid the urge to sock him, keeping his fists clenched and under his folded arms. "Oh, yeah? So, have you figured out why we're watching her?"

Kenny shrugged, eyes rested on the TV screen once again, "Not really. I thought you knew. Didn't you say she was the Bearer or something, whatever that is?" His voice was passive, as if he was too busy watching about the crime scene unfold in front of him but too busy thinking about something else to notice what the hell was going on _in_ the crime scene.

"Uh, yeah…" Ryuichi muttered, looking away.

"What do you think that is, anyway?" Kenny finally asked, when Ryuichi had suddenly grown quiet.

"I-I don't…" he stopped, eyes stinging with pain. He closed them, feeling hot tears well through his closed eyelids. "Um, I think I'm going to go to sleep. G'night…" He stood up quickly; ready to leave, until Kenny was blocking his path.

"What's wrong, Ryuichi?" Kenny asked, eyes firm, as he tried to catch his brother's hesitating glances.

Ryuichi shook his head, feeling sick. His vision was becoming blurry, his limbs quivering. "It-it's nothing, really… Move, man."

"No." Kenny balled the front of Ryuichi's shirt in his fist, and led him to the couch where he pushed him down. "Now, tell me. What is it? Why are you…?" He gestured to his eyes, red and burning and watering. "What are you hiding?"

Ryuichi groaned in irritation, shoving Kenny away so he could lean forward. He felt like retching, but he couldn't. It was too painful to do anything. There was only one way to rid of it, but he just wasn't sure he could do it- make his brother suffer the same thing, and betray his parents. It wasn't right.

"Kenny," he seethed, "It's none of your business."

The sixteen year old sighed in annoyance, unable to take that as an answer. "It is. If it has to do with the girl, then it's all of our business."

He was right. Ryuichi knew it was the truth, but he couldn't understand how his parents had been able to lie to him, and not to mention to Kenny.

"You have to promise not to tell Mom and Dad," Ryuichi began slowly, "And no one else."

"I promise," Kenny replied impatiently, still staring him down from where he stood, "What's the problem."

Ryuichi wiped the tears away, hands shaking as the warm liquid burned into his skin, leaving nothing to evaporate into the air. "I…"-that wasn't the way to begin- "Zelda dropped by a couple nights ago…"

"_What_?" Kenny exclaimed, before shutting his mouth when he realized it had been a little too loud. "What do you mean, '_she dropped by_'?" he hissed.

Ryuichi glanced up at him, trying his best not to make eye contact, "She told me what we really had to do and, and forced _this_ on me." he remarked, gesturing toward his face. "I thought it was just a story to scare kids into obeying the Royal Family, but…"

"But, what?" Kenny was towering over him, now, too overwhelmed by curiosity, "What story, anyway? I've never heard of it?"

Ryuichi laughed bitterly, "That's because Dad refused to have you swear allegiance to the King before we ran."

"Your point?" Kenny prodded, lifting an eyebrow in confusion.

Ryuichi sighed, running a hand through his hair in aggravation; "Sometimes, you can be so…forget it… Do you want to know _why_ we're here?"

"Yes, please?" Kenny replied sarcastically, eyes giving away the fact that he was confused beyond recognition as to where his brother was going with this.

"Mom and Dad ran _away_ from the Royal Family," Ryuichi whispered fiercely, nose scrunching up as if what he had just said left a bad taste in his mouth. With the tears that had stained his lips, it probably did. "They didn't come here to obey them."

"How's that?" Kenny asked, "They swore allegiance to the King, didn't they?"

Ryuichi shrugged, "I'm not sure, and I don't understand how they can live life without tearing up inside."

"Not to mention- outside." Kenny muttered sarcastically. "I remember hearing Impa talking about this condition we can get…if we…I-I can't remember it all."

Ryuichi smirked wearily, eyes drooping in exhaustion, "If we disobey, after we've sworn allegiance, any royalty can set this curse on us, any Sheikah anyway."

Kenny finally sat down on the couch, opposite Ryuichi, to stare at him in silence.

"I didn't think it was true," Ryuichi continued, feeling ever so slightly calmer, "But…if you look into their eyes, and you see it all- everything. If you don't do what they ask, they'll kill you."

"And you saw it all…" It wasn't a question, or a statement doused in disbelief. Kenny knew for sure.

"I have to do it, but…" Ryuichi shook his head sadly, "I don't think I can…"

"Are you going to tell Dad?"

Ryuichi shrugged, "I'm not sure…"

"He has to help you," Kenny began skeptically, "He's the one that told us to protect her, not _kill _her."

"Whatever," Ryuichi sighed, standing up, "It's either her dead, or me. If Zelda can get away from the castle to tell me she'll kill me if I don't comply, then I believe her…"

"But…" Kenny trailed off, realizing Ryuichi didn't care to listen any longer as he trudged out of the living room, shoulders stooped.

He was right. Kenny wasn't so sure anymore what he wanted.

XxxxXxxxX

There really was a curse. Ryuichi should have known. Impa's stories about dishonor and treachery and betrayal were all true. If a Sheikah didn't obey, whoever it was would be punished. Once they looked into the King's eyes, saw his truth, saw what he believed was right; they would have to do it. Every Sheikah, once they were old enough, would swear their allegiance to the Royal Family. One's bidding can't be done when all you've got are words. That's what the Sheikah race was for- to make sure those words were brought into action, carried out.

But, if you disobeyed, if you did what John and Carrie did, you would be a traitor for life. No one would ever accept you. Ever. It was always like that. But Ryuichi didn't know that. He didn't even know why anyone would ever want to go against the Royal Family. Murder. They'll kill you if you disobey. Pawns. Just pawns that can be tossed away- until they begin to die off, and only a few are left.

So, they set the threats. Look into deep, blue eyes, know the truth of your existence, and die if you disobey. Ryuichi didn't want to die. Never really did, exactly. She was one girl, anyway, just a poor-excuse of a human girl that wouldn't matter ever in the future. He would do it. He would kill her. If it meant his life, and the life of his family's, then so be it. He would do what he had to do, for the sake of his race.

If he only knew that all Sheikah were cursed from the very beginning.

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Thanks lots to kairi irl for the review. Not so sure what happened with the sudden drop of reviews, but I understand if everyone is too busy to read. Just drop by and read the story when you get a chance, and if you have time, I would love a review. This prequel, maybe the last to finally finish off the beginning and end of Jade's story, is very important.


	5. The Past Haunts

Disclaimer: I just want all you to know that I obviously do not own anyone or anything from Zelda. That includes the "man who had an eye that could see the truth". Excluding my own fictionalized account of him. Enjoy this little story in a story.

**_Seeing Past Darkness_**

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Chapter 4: The Past Haunts

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"A long time ago... There was a man in this very village who had an eye they said could see the truth! Now usually, you have to train your mind's eye most strenuously to actually see the truth... But this fella, no, they say he had a different way of doing things... His house stood where the well is now..."_

-Old Man in Kakariko Village.  
_Ocarina of Time_

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It grew dark quickly that evening. Right after dinner, the sun had set. The village elders knew it was time. They packed quickly and quietly, taking along with them those children that had waited all summer. A few cried, red eyes streaming with tears, others smiled and laughed, while some were too mature to care. They sat in the wagon, the glamoured black canvas bonnet hiding them from the outside; blending with the darkness the night creatures were so blind to.

"Be careful, Erebus," a woman with blazing red hair held a small boy in her arms, her eyes not on the squirming child, but on the man before her, "Come back safely, you hear."

The man called Erebus laughed light-heartedly, leaning forward to place a kiss on the woman's cheek, and then the boy's. "Always, Semele. I will be back before tomorrow's night."

Semele smiled, red eyes alighting with his, as she leaned toward him- looking as though to kiss. Instead, she whispered into his ear; "I will watch your eye."

He craned his neck sideways and caught her lips with his. They parted, as the boy in Semele's arms tugged on Erebus's curly brown hair, catching his attention. "You, Fido, will be good to your mother."

Fido laughed, eyes wide- mouth as well, the comings of his second tooth on the way and showing like white diamonds.

"See you then?" Semele said, smiling.

"See you, love," he said, eyes lingering on her face for a few mere more seconds, until someone grabbed his collar.

"Erebus, hurry!"

The said Sheikah laughed, letting him be pulled away from his family. He waved to them before turning around and running after the elder silver-haired woman that had yanked his collar.

"I'll get back at you for that, Impa!" he remarked, climbing onto the wagon to sit beside her.

She chuckled, grabbing the reigns to the pack of six mules, "Want to bet on that, dear cousin?"

Erebus rolled his ruby red eyes as he fixed his tunic, "Won't I?" He turned to her, eyes wide.

She rolled her own before glancing behind her. "All the children are ready?"

"Yes, I believe so," he said, turning to see if a certain redhead was nearby. He spotted her auburn head of hair above the steps to his cottage in front of the windmill. She waved at him, before grasping Fido's and waving his.

Erebus smiled, waving back. "I will miss them," he murmured to himself.

"I'm sure you will," Impa mused.

He turned to stare at her in surprise, "I didn't think you heard."

She grinned; forgetting to answer him as she finally led the horses forward, jerking the wagon into movement.

Erebus gripped the seating, too riddled into his thoughts to notice the stares he received from his cousin.

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"Do you accept your status in our society, child?" The king's voice boomed throughout the throne room, shaking not only the crystal chandeliers that hung from the ceilings, but nearly all the bones in the child's body. "Will you forever keep your allegiance to I, and the Royal Family in any time of need?"

The girl kneeling before the white-haired king stuttered, wishing she could be anywhere but be in front of him, gazing into cerulean depths that made her want to cry into a fit. "I-I…of-of c-course… Y-your Majesty."

The king smiled, creases outstretching from the sides of his eyes, as he stood straight, lifting the silver-streaked blade that had rested on her shoulder. "You may rise, Ophelia."

She did, legs shaking. Her eyes burned ever so slightly, something that tingled with exhilaration and pain at the same time. She bowed once more, and turned away, unaware that teardrops had fallen from her eyes.

"Erebus, boy," the king called, searching the crowd before him. A soft murmur arose, as the Sheikah group parted to let him through.

He knelt forward quickly, almost awkwardly, letting his curly brown locks fall over his eyes. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

The king placed a hand on Erebus's shoulder, motioning for him to look up. He did, into dark depths. "You have achieved greatness, Erebus, even if you do not know it."

"But, Your Highness…" He began, bewilderment edging his tone.

"Wait, son," the king said, "I know you are too young, but even the Queen agrees with me."

"Do not forget me, Your Majesty," Impa added with a grin, as she stepped behind Erebus, sending both the king and queen a knowing smile.

"Agree with what, Your Highness?" Erebus asked suspiciously. When his cousin was involved, it usually always meant trouble.

The King of Hyrule smiled, "We have all agreed to knight you as the head leader of the Sheikah clan, to lead this new race to a different kind of legend- alongside Impa."

Erebus was utterly speechless, to say the least. Eyes wide with shock, he glanced toward Impa. She nodded in appraise, as if telling him it was all right. Really, it was perfectly fine.

"Th-thank you, Your Majesty," he finally croaked, "I am much honored."

He was knighted, marked with the Sheikah sign, and supposedly honored forever amongst everyone, and every other race out there. Supposedly, anyway. He didn't exactly feel like he was that important, or that courageous or daring. He still felt like everyone else: frightened out of their wits.

"That was very unexpected," Erebus sighed as they exited the castle, feeling as though he could breathe for the first time since they arrived, "I hadn't expected so much."

"As if none of us knew the eye that you have," Impa drawled, stepping ahead of him, leaving him speechless.

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The Eye… The Eye… He hoped to the goddesses it was all right. He had worked forever to construct it with all the magic and glamour he could conjure and use. It was a beautiful invention, one so that any Sheikah could use to see inside the very being of one's soul, know their truths, their desires. They would know everything, feel everything, be _anything_ to anyone. As long as they could handle it, as long as they could withstand the pain they felt for their people, their King, then so be it.

_The Eye_… _The Eye_… He wondered if Semele had used it yet. He knew her suspicions, her fears, but he loved her as it is. She would never betray him- never. They would lead the clan to prosperity. Forever and ever.

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"Do you see that?"

"Is it smoke?"

"It's too high! They're clouds!"

"Shut up, you spoiled brat! It's smoke!"

"Quiet, all of you!" Impa exclaimed, sending the children in the wagon to silence.

But they were right. Well, whoever that had said it was smoke, anyway.

Erebus gazed up at the western sky, black with smoke and soot. His heart raced, adrenaline pumping in his veins, as dark thoughts began to race through his mind.

"No, no," he murmured in disbelief. He could smell it now. Death. Destruction. Everything ablaze. It just couldn't be.

"Erebus," Impa said, grabbing hold of his arm before he could jump out of the wagon, "Stay inside the wagon."

He turned to her, enraged. But her eyes gave away nothing. So inexperienced he was. He sat back, trying to take a deep breath. The smell of smoke washed over him, making him frantic once again.

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They reached the village; wagon long deserted, to see everything they hoped hadn't been true.

Houses, ablaze with whatever residual flames remained, were left to crumbled, black walls and fallen roofs. Stumps of furniture remained; some contained nothing but ash and embers. The windmill, now visible beyond an unrecognizably jagged stump of wood and brick and flames, still stood. The fans mere long sticks glowing with dying flames, creaking as the wind picked up speed, carrying embers that swirled around the village like the dark shadows of morning fog.

"What happened here?" Impa's voice broke through Erebus's thoughts, cutting through the darkness that clouded over him. He could only stand there, unbelieving.

There was no answer. There couldn't be. No one was there to answer her question, when all that they saw were burnt grass and crumbling houses.

"What do we do?" Erebus murmured, more to himself than to anyone. He couldn't let them hear. He was the leader, for goddesses' sake! He should be telling them what to do…!

But, the words didn't form in his mouth. He rushed forward, past Impa and the children, toward where his house used to stand. When his feet hit the last step, he crumbled, just like the home before him. Gone. Completely. Even the fern that hung outside his door had burnt to a crisp, withered to ashes and left in the cracked pot on the last step.

"It wasn't just any normal fire," he said quietly, hearing footsteps behind him. His eyes watered, embers flying into his eyes. "It was _his_…wasn't it?"

"Erebus…" Impa's voice was too far away, as if she weren't standing behind him.

"You are correct, boy…" _this_ voice was closer to him, but it wasn't the voice he wanted to hear.

He swirled around, standing up. "_You_…" he seethed. Despite the fact that his vision was blurred, he could tell perfectly well who stood before him, who dared to come face-to-face with him after what he had done.

"Be kind to me, boy," the man's voice boomed, yellow eyes aglow with rage, "After all, I was the one that helped in the creation of your pathetic race. Too bad I will help destroy it."

Erebus sneered, "The goddesses would never allow it, thief."

Ganon laughed, shaking his head, "If only…" And then he disappeared, for a second unaccounted for, before returning again, with a girl in his arms. He pushed her forward, to face Erebus.

"Semele," he gasped, reaching for her arm.

She flinched away, eyes narrowed in disgust, "Away from me, _peasant_."

"Semele…" It left a bad taste in his mouth, when usually he felt nothing but love for her. All he could feel was Ganon's hatred, and his evil in her. "What have you done to her?" he snapped, turning to the Gerudo, outrage evident in his expression.

The dark-skinned man laughed, hand still firm on the redhead's arm; "Nothing you aren't familiar with, I'm sure."

Erebus could feel the pain wrenching his heart, driving him toward madness if he didn't handle this now. But Impa was there, so suddenly he hadn't seen her come.

"Where are the others?" she demanded, arms folding across her chest in clear defiance.

Erebus wanted to slink away. What leader was he, unable to deal this for himself?

Ganon smirked, a haunting guise that darkened his eyes to a sickly yellow, "Wallowing in the misery for their dead ones. I thought it a good idea to let them see what their kind will become after this war."

Erebus glanced at him, but he was too busy focused on Impa. So he turned to Semele, and alas, her once beautiful eyes were now focused on the wicked Gerudo next to her. A small smile, unlike any he had seen before, graced her lips.

"Semele," he dared to whisper her name; "Where is Fido?"

Her gaze snapped his direction, and he caught it unintentionally. A malevolent smirk twisted her expression into a deriding glare. His eyes began to burn, this time; he wasn't so sure it was from the soot in the air. He could see it clearly. The truth was obvious, unyielding- as much as he didn't want to admit it.

"Dead…" he mouthed, his shoulders stooping.

"Lying amongst the rest of our scrap of a home, dear Erebus." She said, placing a hand to his chest, "Enjoy your trash."

He tossed her hand away from him and glared, one so impossible he thought he could never do to one he had loved so much as her. "You forget everything, Semele, what I could have accomplished for us."

She laughed bitterly, "Nothing. All that is left is rubbish. Go look for yourself."

"Be as it may, Impa…" Gannon then turned to Erebus, "Gather your kind and swear your allegiance to me, or perish like your town." He spat.

"No," Erebus snapped, "We have sworn our allegiance to the King. It is too late."

Semele interjected, "I am the leader's wife…"

"How did _you_ know?" Erebus interjected. Had it broadcasted to everyone but him that he would be the first leader, aside Impa?

"Everyone knew it," Semele replied curtly, before turning to Ganon; "We will accept. Our allegiance is yours."

He saw the tears riding down her dirt-stained cheeks, the way her irises welled with the color of blood. She endured the pain, just to be with _him_.

"You cannot fight away the truth, Semele," Impa voiced, her tone calm but firm, "You can never disobey the King."

Semele mocked, "Pain will no longer be mine to bear, dear Impa. I will be free. Forever. This curse will not bind me. As should it not for any of you."

Erebus turned to Ganon, "I will not kneel to you, thief."

Gannon shrugged, armory clinking together as he moved, his cape following along with him like a curtain to shield him. "I will give you a week, boy. You and your cousin will fall. As for the rest of your kind, they will be with me."

Erebus set his jaw, heart still pounding in his chest, but still firm. His answer was set. If only he knew what to do when _that_ did not quench the want for the man's greed.

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Yes, this is set way back- before Ocarina of Time, during the wars. So, this is the real Impa, not evil Impa. Heh. I will probably have three parts to this- at the most, maybe four. I didn't want to lay it on you guys all at the same time, so I broke it apart. Hope this is interesting to read as the rest of the story. I thought I would add some more background. And then we'll get back to the Blakes.

Anyway, thank you guys who read and reviewed. I'm sorry if I sounded like I was pestering for reviews in the last chapter. I won't do that again. It's your guys' choice to review or not, or read or not. I just always love to hear what you guys think. So, anyway, until next time.


	6. The Past Lies

**_Seeing Past Darkness_**

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Chapter 5: The Past Lies

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Ganon was right. There were at least half of the village's townspeople in the Shadow Temple, more than half were women- the rest being young boys and children. They huddled together in the midst of the burning flames, on the raised pedestal, praying. Clothes singed, hair matted, faces smudged with dirt, the Sheikahs looked more like peasants than beautiful shadow people. Until there heads lifted to stare at Erebus as he walked inside the dimly lit cave. Their ruby red eyes sparkled brilliantly, flashing in the flames, the anger welling inside them like the tears that spilled over their dirt-stained cheeks.

Erebus parted his lips, the breath escaping from his lungs. A sense of urgency passed through him, as the painful feeling of revenge and remorse mixed with his determined thoughts. He could hardly imagine his wife's face anymore, or Ganon's cruel words. He only sought to help his people, and his homeland. But, before the words could leave him, Impa had begun her own speech.

He had forgotten she was there. Shaking his head, he then began to walk slowly around the perimeter, eyes roving over the small children pushing through the cluster of adults. None were Fido, he realized. But at least, he knew all the children had been saved- including those still waiting patiently in the graveyard…almost all of them, anyway. Impa had refused them access into the temple, and Erebus could hear their whines and complaints as they had entered. But, he didn't feel regretful for forcing them to stay in the graveyard. It was far more dangerous in the temple.

"This is all of that are left, I see," Impa was speaking quietly, her tone thoughtful, "And the rest? What happened to them?"

Erebus hated to hear the answer, but nonetheless, walked closer to Impa. The crowd backed away from each other, most stepping off the stone platform. Smaller children took large breaths, glad for the clean air once they were freed from the group's claustrophobic hold. The new leader turned away, pain nagging at his heart.

"They followed Ganon, Impa," a soft voice replied. Erebus recognized it to belong to one of Semele's friends: Inga. "He thought he would kill them if they didn't follow, and left the children here while they went with him…"

Erebus furrowed his eyebrows, "And, how did you all escape?" Bitterness entrenched his tone, as he fought for the words to come out of his mouth. The last thing he needed was for a sob to get caught in his throat.

Inga glanced downward, dark hair pulling over her teary eyes, "We ran, taking all the children before much damage. A few of us hid, some tried to fight. Those that fought were disadvantaged against him…So, Semele tried to compromise…"

"_Compromise_?" Erebus snapped, "So, she turned against me, against all of us!"

Inga jumped back, eyes wide with shock. Her vision suddenly blurred, and she hastily wiped the tears away, while adding a hesitant reply; "Erebus, she saved us. She took those more experienced with her, the ones that were fighting, and told they would serve him as long as he didn't hurt the other Sheikahs."

"But, how could you agree to that?" Erebus remarked, glancing toward the quiet Impa. She gave no emotion away, her red orbs clouded over in thought.

Inga grimaced, glancing behind her, "She would have no more deaths after her son…your son…"

Erebus turned on his heels, ready to leave, when Impa stood in his way. She grabbed his shoulders, and forced him to meet her gaze. His heart pounded in his chest, drumming in his ears. He felt nauseous.

"Listen to what they have to say, Erebus," Impa said softly, "We all need to know."

The Sheikah nodded solemnly, shrugging away from Impa's hold to return to the group behind him. "Continue, please, Inga…" His tears tasted like salt, sending a sob ready to cut his words in half.

Inga shook her head, folding her hands together in front of her; "She told Ganon…" her voice hardened at the name, her eyes stinging horribly, but she continued, "She told him that she would serve him, so that we could continue our service to the King."

"She separated the Sheikah clan," Impa interjected calmly, "So we could fight against each other?"

Inga lifted her gaze ever so slowly, "There was no other way, and she wouldn't have it that all of us be taken, or you, Erebus."

Now, he felt terrible. More than terrible- he wished he could crawl into a hole and die. All those horrible things he had said to her. As if she were scum! But she had sacrificed herself for him, for the Sheikahs.

"There is no other way, Erebus," Impa said, "We must go against Ganon…"

"What about the other Sheikah?" Inga asked, speaking Erebus's own words. "Will we go against them?"

Glancing at the eyes of all in front of him, Erebus knew that all of them wanted to know her answer, hoping it would be the answer they wanted to hear. His answer…

"Yes," Erebus replied, receiving a surprised look from Impa and the group. Some began to cry at this, falling to the floor on their knees. He sighed, adding, "Only if we must."

The sobbing quieted.

"We will do what we can against him, but if the others get in our way, then we have to take them down- temporarily, at least." He continued, his own words impairing his thoughts. Even to himself, he didn't sound reassuring.

Impa nodded, inhaling deeply. She looked exhausted. "He is right. But, for now, we must all set camp, and get as much sleep as possible. When the sun sets, Erebus and I will head for the castle, send word to the King."

Most of the group nodded, others whimpered softly. None were strong enough to feel enthusiastic. They left the temple, the torches still burning.

XxxxXxxxX

"What do you think she meant, Impa?" Erebus whispered to the silver-haired woman, his eyes unable to meet hers over the cackling flames of the small bonfire; "Why would she say she would be free… Why would she…she lie like that?" He stared dully at the fire, his eyes alighting in the color of blood, as his mind raced with the thoughts of Semele, and Fido. They had come to mind as quickly as they had gone.

Impa sighed; throwing in another twig from the small stack of firewood she had been collecting. "She was protecting you, Erebus. Don't you get it, yet?"

The Sheikah across from her finally dared to tear his gaze from the flames, and toward her, "I do…but…I just wish I _knew_…"

The silver-haired woman smirked wearily, "None of us did. Did you really think_ I_ was the only one able to hide my emotions?"

Erebus shook his head, unable to smile at his cousin's attempts to lighten the mood. "I wish I could see her again…"

"You will…" Impa remarked, cocking a silver eyebrow.

"Under better conditions, I hoped." But that wish was too far away, too quixotic for what lay ahead.

"Don't lose hope, cousin," Impa said, smiling softly.

He huffed, rolling his eyes, "If only…"

"You, Erebus," she said, "Are as ignorant as you were when you were a child. Not _as_ ignorant, really, but nearly. More mature now, but…"

"Impa!" Erebus exclaimed, eyes wide with amazed irritation. "Aren't you worried for them?"

"Of course," she grew serious, voice lowering, "I fear for them all. But if we cannot stand with courage, how can they expect themselves to be courageous as well against such dark forces at work?"

He rubbed his forehead in exhaustion, "You are right, Impa, so right. But, I don't think I can…"

"Nonsense," she remarked, waving a dismissive hand at him, "Get some sleep. We shall head for the castle at night, seeing as how the trip there nearly two hours ago has completely drained me out." She slipped under the covers of her makeshift sleeping bag, and closed her eyes.

Erebus nodded reluctantly, "Of course. Goodnight, Impa."

"Goodnight, cousin."

XxxxXxxxX

The bonfire had slowly lost its ferocity, flames barely strong enough to lick at the crumbled twigs and branches that fueled it. He could hear it cackling ever so slightly, but he could have sworn he heard pops and crackles from somewhere else in the village, where a small fire still burned somewhere inside a crumbled house, finishing off the valuables that it had begun to destroy.

Erebus's watchful gaze settled on the sky above him, pink and yellows and blues gone- hidden by the remnants of smoke that lingered up high in the air. He sighed quietly, his mind too troubled with the thoughts of his family that had so seemingly fallen apart in one single night.

He turned onto his side, sadly, to face his house. Crumbled and ruined. He hadn't bother to look there for anything, seeing as how everything was gone. Burnt to the ground. But something nagged at the back of his mind, telling him he would never rest if he didn't do _something_, and he just had to. Even if it meant actually getting his exhausted body to sit up…

The other three bonfires had died down as well, but those sleeping didn't seem to care. They were huddled together, their breathing soft and dreamlike. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be up anymore. Sleep seemed much more peaceful, and much less worrisome. His thoughts wouldn't have time to gnaw at his insides, feed him worried possibilities of things that could go horribly wrong… Besides, everything already had.

The front door was kicked open, its nearly untouched but darkened skin chipped and singed. It laid against the sooty sofa, where the material had been burnt through- the color gone. Vases that had once held lively wildflowers were crushed, the glass melted to the floor. Tables were overturned, burnt drapes swayed half-heartedly in the wind over the naked windows. The walls had taken the worst damage. Where the fire had burnt holes through, the skeleton of the house jutted out. Its guts hung from fire-damaged plywood, the discolored, flowery wallpaper peeling like sun burnt skin.

Erebus stepped inside slowly, his boots reverberating the groaning floorboards. He could smell the smoke that clung to everything inside, worse now than it had been from outside. Craning his head to his left, he saw the small room that he and his family shared. Most of it had been given up for his son to sleep inside, to gather toys and memories… He walked past the kitchen, and toward the door that barely hung onto its hinges. It creaked open, and he carefully stepped inside. The room seemed more or less damaged; the walls and ceiling much alike as the main part of the house. One thing extra was the drawings. Limp and crumpled and curled at the edges, they barely clung to the walls. The colors painted brightly on the once white had faded, mingling with the dark hues of the paper and the wall. They hung uselessly, but Erebus kneeled next to one. He could remember the slashes of paint his son had so easily created with little hands. Nothing more than a splash here, a handprint there... They had still been teaching him to talk.

He was about halfway through standing- since he was no longer able to handle the emotional stress, when the floor under him thumped dangerously with his nearly unbalanced footing. He stepped away, eyeing the untouched, blue rug under him. The edges hadn't been singed, not one hair. Recognition crossed his features, and he stumbled off of it- something a Sheikah hardly did. But he ignored his carelessness, and threw the rug aside. A plain, simple plank was under the rug. The fire hadn't touched it; even the metal handle hadn't melded it to the wood. He grabbed the latch, adrenaline rushing through, and his hopes undoubtedly high.

It didn't swing open as quickly as he had hoped, but after many tries, the door swung open. It was pitch black inside, even so that his Sheikah eyes could hardly see. There was no quick way to light the darkness within, but he hoped he could find the steps- the ones he had traveled only a few times before. Glancing behind him once more, he then proceeded to dangle his legs over the edge of the open space.

Counting to three, his breath wistful and sharp and shaking, he jumped into the darkness.

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I should have just added more to this, but I've already prolonged the update for too long. So, I guess there will be three parts to this. Sorry to those who are really interested to read more about Kenny. I just want to thank all those that read and reviewed the last chapters! You guys are great! And to just let you know, there _will_ most likely be a sequel after Seeing All or Nothing. There's a tidbit up in my account at deviantart if you're interested. Thing is, you don't have to read that installment, since it's more like an extra kind of work. I don't know when it'll be up, but hopefully by this summer. It takes longer to update nowadays with school, and the fact that I'm working on some original stories. Takes up some time, but I won't leave this story finished. So, stay posted, yah? I'll try and have the next chap posted soon.

P.S Oh! Also, if you guys are interested, kairi irl has some awesome videos on her youtube account. Two are inspired by Seeing All or Nothing ;D And one of my all time fave songs that- not to mention, is practically _the _song for the Seeing Truth series. It's by Evans Blue, song is Cold. "Hint hint". Haha, ok. I'll have the link up for these two on my profile. And feel free to check out more, she has a lot of great vids.


	7. The Past is the Truth

**_Seeing Past Darkness_**

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Chapter 6: The Past is the Truth

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There were no steps. He forgot. It was a nearly ninety degree stone inclination, crevices embedded deep into the stone to allow some sort of place his fingers could wedge into. But the illusion had tricked him; his Sheikah senses too clouded over to realize it. He fell deep, maybe thirty- forty feet into the dark abyss. His scream was caught in his throat, his tongue dry and swelling, as his heart felt like jumping out of his chest. The momentum carried him quickly downward, and he wouldn't have the chance to land gracefully; his legs were tangled and uncontrollable under him. He reached out instinctively, groping for anything nearby. The dark, indescribable walls were slick and moist and slimy against his fingertips. Nevertheless, he dug his fingernails into the cold, praying to the goddesses for a crack or a niche in the stone.

Some down half way, his fingertips caught a chunk of loose wall, spraying it onto him as his wrist nearly twisted with such strong force that his hand- not to mention his entire arm, felt like popping off. He had caught a crevice, and he struggled to keep his fingertips from sliding out. Swinging slightly, he readjusted his body, chest to the wall, to pull his other hand to support himself. His arm ached, the shoulder feeling ready to detach, and the pain (like fire) traveled throughout his body. His head spun, the darkness too overwhelming, making him nearly forget which way was up.

He grunted, teeth grinding, as he hugged the wall. Sweat dotted his forehead, trickling to the sides. The vertical tunnel seemed much more harmful than he remembered. Its insides like that of some great beast, daring to swallow him up if he fell too far in, where its jaws would snap shut and leave him in darkness. His heart pounded vigorously in his chest, drumming loudly in his ears, deafening. He let himself hang, now. Letting his flushed cheek rest onto the slick and cold wall before him, he hoped to calm himself down enough to think, enough to see.

He took a deep breath, letting the sickly sweet smell of earth to overwhelm him. His mind raced, and he could feel the flush of warmth in his cheeks lessen. He kept his hands where they were, and began searching for a crevice to place his feet. It took a few minutes, the strain on his arms beginning to worsen. He grunted, groaned, seethed. Ah, an opening. A deeper one than the ones his fingertips grasped for dear life. He rearranged himself, daring to slide his fingers to and fro on the walls. As he did, his right foot quavered slightly, his boot not too entirely fixed into place. Another loose piece chipped and fell. It wasn't too long until he heard the dull thud of it against the ground. He debated, now, whether he should jump. It wasn't as if he was some normal Hylian- some senseless creature.

He gritted his teeth, and then braced himself. On the count of three, he would jump and let himself fall again, but knowingly this time. And he couldn't say he didn't mean to kill himself… _One...two…_ Last minute thoughts shuffled his movements, and by the time it came for _three_ he had been too jittered. But, he jumped. Unorganized, unpracticed. He felt terrible. The landing had him in a heap, but at least it hadn't been too far off. Maybe ten feet, fifteen? He groaned in irritation more than any other soreness, as he felt his ankle ignite with pain with pain that up his arms and down his feet to lick at the rest of him. At least his hands were free. His fingers were sore, though, his shoulders stiff, and his wrists stabbing with sharp needles.

The ground under him was hard and compact, just like the stone walls. He grimaced, pulling himself into a sitting position and leaning his back against the stone. His head bumped against it, and he merely had enough energy to groan. His headache worsened, but it was nothing compared the hallucinations. He thought he could hear something scuffling. Beyond the low arch before him, where the blackness seemed blacker than the tunnel, a soft shift could be discerned from the quiet- here and there. A rat's pitter patter, maybe. But it was too deliberate, too loud for a mere rat. It sparked his interest, and he crawled forward, grit digging into the palms of his hands.

His pupils needed time to adjust to the darkness, opening wide, nearly so large that the white of his eyes disappeared in the deep blackness, a mere thin ring of red glowing faintly. He would need to make sure he didn't step out into the sun too quickly, or face burning his means of vision to a crisp. And, just in case, he walked slowly, as if a light would flash in his eyes at any given second.

The ground soon gave way to cold dirt, scraping under his nails and sticking to his palms. He was under the arch now, the coldness seeping to the marrow of his bones now. There was a bad vibe now, pulsing through him, forcing his eyes to water. He hated this place, but it called to him. He needed to go, had to.

The temperature dropped, accompanied with the horrid sound of unutterable silence. Nothing scurried past, nothing groaned in agony, nothing… It wasn't right, Erebus reasoned. He hid his groan, and shuffled to his feet. The world spun for a second, and the dark ground plummeted toward him. He leaned haphazardly to his side, grappling onto the naked wall. It held him for a while, enough to allow the fuzzy world to come back into focus.

With eyes burning, he righted himself, ignoring the beads of sweat that uncomfortably latched his hair to his skin. He felt exhausted, confused. Death lurked at every dark corner and crevice; the pungent odor of mold and decay shrouded his senses. He could hardly manage to walk, to breathe. Never before had it caused so much pain to walk here, the world hidden from the Sheikah. He should have never created such a place, never should have placed the object he searched for in these tunnels and rooms. Death was literal, now. The souls ravaged by war had crawled here, to escape, to only live in their disastrous greed and envy. Erebus shuddered at this; he felt vile, like the dirt under his feet. This place was the absolute opposite of the Shadow Temple, he knew. All the evil he had placed here. And he prayed to the goddesses it wouldn't leak into the sacred sanctuary…

A shriek- so loud, so terrifying, and so full of pain and agony- tore through the air and into him. To the very marrow of his bones, he could feel it, coursing like electricity throughout him. He convulsed, grabbing his head in attempt to keep the scream from pounding his brain to mush. But something caught him in the darkness. Cold, raw, and clammy; it bit hard through the scuff of his coat and into his skin. He cried out, falling to his knees as deadweight plastered onto him. A sharp stab of pain shot into his neck, spreading like fire throughout him. His eyes felt like bursting into flames, his head growing so thick and heavy that it clogged out all his thoughts. His body numbed to the torture, feeling like the deadweight that had latched onto his back, sucking the life out of him.

_Upyri_, his mind screamed,_ get off…get off…_ His tongue was like heavy lead in his mouth. His teeth gritted together.

The poison spread throughout him, the saliva sticking to him like a second skin. But there was a painful relief above him. The heavy weight had lifted from his shoulders, and quickly he was aware of the cold ground below him and the cool air swirling around his head. Something dropped with a thump beside him, and he slowly flicked his burning eyes open. Black, lifeless, glinting orbs like black buttons against raggedy old skin stared back at him. His breath hitched, and his lungs began to burn with the already long lack of oxygen.

"Idiot," a voice whispered into his ear.

There was a wavering scream, bit back by his own pain, and he realized it had come from his own mouth. He was unsure of the reason of the rippling pain until he lost the feeling of the ground under him. He was being lifted up. He wanted to fight away, to toss the annoyingly cold hand, but he had lost consciousness after that.

XxxxXxxxX

"Did you lose all sense of logic, Erebus?" Impa chided for about the tenth time since he had woken. And he had nothing to do but lay there and listen, half way in or half way out.

"I'm…sorry, Impa." He croaked, sighing lightly. It wasn't a sigh of remorse, however. If he could, he would be smiling, his pale cheeks able to glow a faint flush of pink. Only a few feet away, lay his son. His small form curled into a light ball, his chest rising and falling with his dreamlike breathing. Fido had slept through the entire ordeal, his memories of hiding underground with one of the girl's in the village forgotten into oblivion. Erebus had assumed the girl had been taken as well- along with Ganon's new enforcements. But she lay just as still next to Fido, her raven hair like a thorny halo against her dark skin.

"She was scared out of her mind;" Impa said softly, "The magic was dying out by the time you came."

Erebus sighed, turning away with a dull ache that numbed his body to the core, "It was a lucky thing that I came, huh?"

"What was lucky," Impa interjected, slopping a wet rag onto his forehead, making him cringe in annoyance, "was that I came in time to save your sorry ass before the upyri could kill you."

Erebus's head spun, and he let the ret wag fall to the ground. Impa snatched it before it could get dirty. "You know I've already been infected, don't you?"

Impa shook her head, "I have sent a group to the castle to gather a cure. It won't be long…"

"…Before I die." Erebus hissed.

Impa slapped his shoulder lightly before returning to dunk the damp rag into the water in a chipped basin recovered from one of the houses. "You, be quiet. You'll live, understand?"

Erebus chuckled bitterly, turning to glance at the raven-haired girl once again, "She'll take care of him, won't she?"

Impa lifted an eyebrow, taking slower movements now to reconsider his words, "What do you mean?"

"Both of you will…" he finished, closing his eyes to keep them from hurting any more in the evening sun.

Impa shook indiscernible thoughts that threatened to crystallize in her head. She didn't want to think about her cousin like that. It was hard, however, when he continued his rant on how to become some sort of kamikaze Sheikah soldier.

"She hid him, Impa," Erebus said, hardly above a whisper, "She…I have to find her…"

"No," his cousin remarked curtly, placing the wet rag on his forehead once again, "For all that we know she could have hidden him before she turned against us all."

"I doubt that," Erebus continued, "I should have known; if I had just known the truth- she was fighting so hard, Impa." He turned his head to glance at her, and she quickly took his forehead and firmly kept the rag from slipping off his damp skin. He couldn't move his head now, and he narrowed his eyes in irritation. At least, he thought so. He felt so numb.

"Maybe…" Impa whispered softly, gaze thoughtful.

It was the end of that conversation, as Fido finally awoke from his peaceful slumber and completely unaware of his mother's absence. Erebus wanted to sleep rather than face the horrible truth. But he didn't have to worry so hard about that. He was unconscious by the time dusk gave way to night.

XxxxXxxxX

This time, when Erebus awoke, it was midnight. Instead of the sun choked by rising smoke, it was the clear night sky, glowing with millions of tiny stars and the waning gibbous moon. The smoke had disappeared from the atmosphere; everything that remained from the fire was the burnt up debris, poking the sky with splintered wood and rubble of bricks that coated the ground a fine red.

Glancing around, he realized the camps had lessened. There were only two bonfires burning, and the only people remaining in his campfire group were him, his son, the raven-haired girl, and Impa. The other three a few feet away weren't discernable, their faces either turned away from him or hidden behind blankets.

He sat up slowly, eying the poor excuse of a village. It made his heart pound with anxiety. He hated what Ganon had done- he hated Ganon in general. And he couldn't stand to just- to lie, he couldn't just lie there and do nothing. One last glance, he promised himself. He wished he could gather the boy in his arms, and promise no one would ever hurt him. But that would be a lie. If he failed this, he would be hurting his own son, and he couldn't bear to tell a lie. It would rip him apart.

He shuffled slightly, edging upward so he could push himself away from the ground with as little noise as possible. It made him sweat terribly, as he felt a dull pain course through his body, through his veins and his bones. His head hurt, growing lightheaded the more and more he tried to stand up. He would have to crawl to the castle… It sickened him. He would probably fall prey to the wolves. They could sense weakness and fear. He wasn't afraid, however. But weakness was a different answer all together.

The exit to the village was close, maybe ten or so meters away. Burnt grass poked, and then crumbled under his palms to become a fine layer of dust on his palms. He looked behind him. The campfire was only a couple feet behind him. He had hardly moved in the last five minutes. There was a light shuffle, now, and he quickly geared into defense mode. It didn't last long, when he saw the girl laying near his son rustle in her sleep. He thought she would stay, but her eyes slowly fluttered open. They took him in, her gaze bemused and then pensive.

"Erebus?" she whispered softly, thin lips barely moving.

He gulped, blinking a few times before taking in a deep but silent breath, "Yes?"

She cocked her head, rolling onto her side. She couldn't have been anymore than fifteen, he realized. And the thing was- she didn't seem like a weak little girl at all. "What are you doing?"

Erebus looked away, toward the exit, "Just…uh…thought I'd take a…crawl?"

The girl blinked, her expression giving away the fact that she was a little too tired for wry jokes, "Would you like some company?"

Erebus furrowed his eyebrows, wondering for one thing, if the girl would rat him out to his cousin. He nodded, and then added, "Would you mind helping me?"

The girl finally smiled, eyes wide and eager, "Of course."

She scrambled to his aid, being quiet still, and helped him to his feet. All the while, Impa remained cozy in her sleeping bed, and Fido nuzzled closer to the warm addition of blankets to his bed.

"Where would you like to go?" the girl asked, as she held his arm to keep him from falling.

"Out of the village," he said quietly, and then continued when she gave him a puzzled expression, "I've forgotten what the fields look like." His sorrowful expression led her to believe him, and she nodded understandingly.

"Erebus," the girl began softly, once they had reached the stone steps that would lead to Hyrule fields, "Do you think this will end soon?"

Her naivety made him want to ridicule her, but he resisted, biting his tongue to keep a sour remark from escaping. "I don't know…ah…" He hesitated, "What is your name?"

She smiled softly, "Evane."

"That's a beautiful name." She didn't acknowledge his compliment, as they took the first step down. He grimaced, trying his best to ignore the pain that seeped throughout him and emerged through his skin like pinprick thorns.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Evane asked; "You don't look so well."

"I'm fine," he muttered, taking a few more steps. His knees felt like buckling under him, but Evane's grip tightened, her fingernails digging into his skin. It kept him upright, and he was grateful for the reassuring pinch. Or else, he would have fallen face flat, or maybe more at a diagonal angle face fall…

They were halfway down- at the leveled turning point. Only one more flight and they would be standing on the grassy ground, viewing the green knolls painted shades of blue under the shining moon.

Erebus could see a faint light shimmering on the horizon, as if a star had fallen from the sky, shining red and green and blue in the dying sunset. He glanced at Evane, wondering if she had seen it. Her impassive gaze answered his question.

"Evane," he said softly but reassuringly, "I think I can take it from here."

"Are you sure?" She asked, unsure as he was certain.

He nodded, smiling, and hoping she bought it, "I just want some time alone."

She bit her lip for a mere second, and then nodded as well, "All right. Be careful." She slowly let go of his arm, and helped him lean against the rock wall for support. Her worried eyes sent a guilty feeling over Erebus, but he shook it away.

Smiling, he then turned to the uneven steps to begin his descent. Evane stood at the top of the steps, watching warily as he managed to get himself all the way down, and into Hyrule Fields.

"See?" he said, turning around with a forced grin, "I'm all right."

She laughed silently, nodded in reassurance, and headed back up the steps.

Erebus sighed in relief, allowing for the icy chill to numb his cheeks and nose. The tall grass around him seemed to whistle along with his own sorrowful cries, and he slowly trudged amongst them. The river flowed just as quietly and mournfully. The stars blinked, uncaring about him, and he glared up at them in disdain. The goddesses wouldn't have ever done something so vile. At least, he thought they would never have done it. But, he could never have denied it, that he was glad they had given him his son back. Without him, all he could think of doing would be to jump down that dark, vertical tunnel again. Ah, he remembered. The eye was still in there. He wondered if Evane had found it yet, hidden amongst death and destruction and lies and deceit and… He was making himself depressed.

Farther along, in the darkness, he could see those glowing lights. He speculated whether he had seen it the first time, or that the angle of where he had been standing the first time had changed the position of the lights. They seemed more east, rather than north. He continued to follow the lights, anyway, with a painful trek that seemed to take hours.

But once he couldn't continue, the pain nearly drowsing him to sleep that every sense in his body was painfully in tune or out of tune. As if, he couldn't see, but he could hear. He could feel, but he couldn't taste. He could smell, but whatever it was wasn't very pleasant. Of course, the market was never very pleasant. By now, the odors had wafted outside the castle gates, and he had half a mind to turn back around, realizing the lights were nowhere to be seen on the fields. He hated himself for having imagined something so ludicrous, until he saw something that was too unusual even for him.

The castle bridge was lowered. The market, however, was silent. A few dogs barked, and the water in the moat lapped at the shore. Nothing else- not even the wind. The two torches lit- one on each side of the entrance, danced lazily, creating halos on the stonewall. Almost like a dream, it seemed, having never seen something so surreal, as the lights that he had seen before came into view. Just beyond the bridge, they glowed. He squinted, trying to make out certain shapes- any shapes at all.

It was impossible, and he gritted his teeth in irritation. Any longer and he would fall to his knees in exhaustion. But the wind howled in his ears, as if telling him to go further, to see what was beyond the bridge. His legs moved before his mind could process the progress. It was agonizingly slow, as his veins pulsed with the re-dead's venom, burning his insides and taking his body temperature up to a new level.

_Come closer_, he heard the voice, silky and persistent, in his ears.

_We won't hurt you_, this one was softer, more melodious.

_Hurry_, this one drove him on, knowing that the reassuring but demanding voice so close to his ears was in actuality, very near.

At the very entrance, under the stone gate, Erebus realized once and for all, that he couldn't continue. He felt like he had when the upyri had attacked him. His entire body felt aflame, his vision blurring, and his ears ringing. Voices tumbled into his head, now, screaming at him, ordering him to do this and that and keep moving. But he couldn't; he was angry, frustrated. His knees buckled under him, and he grabbed his head to keep the dizziness from becoming too overwhelming.

The world spun round and round, edges morphing into nothing but huge blurs. Beautiful faces first became distraught and stretched incomprehensibly before turning into hideous creatures before him with disfigured features. He wanted to vomit, to let the poison seep out of him any possible way it could. There was nothing he could do now, as the world around him faded into darkness, obscuring everything he believed was real into something more or less an undeniably horrible dream.

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Okay, I promise that the next chapter will be the last of this. I hadn't planned it to become a long story of its own. So, I'm sorry to those who really want to get back to Kenny. So, just sit tight, okay? Hope you guys liked this chapter even though my only favorite part of this was the very last paragraph. Heh. I'll try and update sooner, but junior year always is full of a bunch of crapola- homework, SAT, more homework. And for moi, I'm still working on a few original stories, so you guys can always check that out at my DA account. Also, I've posted the prologue to Seeing Dawn's Light. So, check that out if you like. Anyway, thanks everybody who reviewed and everything. Until next time.

P.S For those who would like, or just care to read the sequel, there's a poll I have up on my profile page. It would mean a lot if you guys voted. If you have any suggestions on anything, feel free to pm me. :)

P.S.S I think I'm spelling Ganon's/Gannon's name differently every single chapter. Does anyone know the correct way to spell his name? Thanks.


	8. The Past Remains

_**Seeing Past Darkness**_

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Chapter 7: The Past Remains

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_Get up…Erebus…_

_Wake up…_

_Open your eyes, you idiot!_

Erebus's eyes fluttered open, and a blinding light greeted him. Pain pulsated through him, burning like fire in his eyes and twitching his body to life. He groaned, rolling onto his side but leaving his eyes shut tight.

_Finally…_

Erebus groped for the ground under him, hoping for something solid under the spinning world. Everything else around him was sputtering, spitting up pieces of dry grass or dirt and discernable black sky.

_Erebus…_ A voice entered inside his head, like the sound of a calm stream or a breeze swirling around his ears.

_You must listen to us…_

But the voices intensified the pain inside him, and he fell to the ground. His muscles refused to co-operate, and he finally gave up. The world spun endlessly- even to the point where closing his eyes didn't help dull the nauseating pain.

_You're people have ignored their duties… And they must be stopped._

"That's ridiculous," Erebus wanted to snap. His people were loyal. It wasn't their fault they were forced under Ganon's rule!

_But they were born to fight until death, Erebus, _the voice interjected, _Surrender is ludicrous. That is what we created you for…_

The Sheikah wanted to scream, but his lips were dry and chapped, his throat parched, and his tongue like glue stuck inside his mouth.

_They have gone against us, Erebus, and it is up to you to stop it. _

"I am a Sheikah as well, how could you force upon me something so hideous?" Goddesses or not, he had the freedom to speak his mind- or at least _express _it inside his head.

_It is your task to serve us, Erebus…_

_Do as we ask, and we shall spare you._

"You cannot force upon me any task," Erebus thought angrily, as thoughts of his wife and son and Impa plagued his mind; "I will not agree. I will help them free themselves."

_Forget your family! _The voices screamed inside his head, and he curled into himself, teeth clenched tightly and jaw set. They echoed commands, monotonous incantations. His body burned with frightening cold. His vision blurred, his eyes drying, and his skin tightening painfully.

_We are All you will listen to, we are All you will believe and follow…_

_Do as we ask, or suffer the same consequences…_

The voices faded, droning and calling but receding nonetheless. They left him in a heap, his body too rigid and cold to move. The grass under him poked through his beaten clothes, the dirt sticking to his sweating skin. But he refused to move, refused to listen to the voices that had told him what he needed to do.

So cold… He wanted to shiver, to warm his body. But even the slightest breeze rattled him, forcing his eyes wide open. Crystal clarity greeted him in hues of blue that blanketed his vision. He felt so rejuvenated, so alive. He could feel the slick, cold blood running through his veins, driving him to move and to feel and to taste. He craved warmth, and his eyes roved for something other than the sun.

He drew himself upward, as his skin tingled and a sensation of awareness greeted him. He glanced downward- at his hand that gripped the cold earth underneath; it was inked in black. Swirls and vines and thorns ran along his skin in endless black, leaving his eyes to scale the patterns that wrapped around his fingers and up his arms. To his torso, it ended, its sharp thorns piercing his ribs and spreading in vines up his neck and down his back. He lowered his stocking, and realized his legs were covered in the dark ink.

Slowly and cautiously, he ran his fingers along the dark markings. It played in his vision, growing and changing and morphing into vines that crawled along his skin. He shuddered, as his skin tightened around him. His hearing grew sharper, his vision clearer than it had been seconds ago, and his touch keener as he played with the rigid grass beside him. He realized he had somehow pulled himself away from the bridge; its wooden being too taught and stiff for his sharp senses to catch movement that he would need.

The sound of water reached his ears- the rush of the river greeting him frantically. He noticed the addition of stars in the sky, their brilliance ablaze in the darkness. They called to him silently, twinkling menacingly but lovingly, adoringly but resentfully.

Voices. Screams of horror and fright, anger and frustration... Something was beyond the hill. He could feel it vibrating in his bones, like the aftermath of an earthquake leaving your insides rattling. It didn't stop there, however, as he stood to his full height. His skin was tingling like cold icicles running along his Goose bumped skin, making his nerves jump in spite of himself.

He gazed around him, imagining the tentative feel of cold grass against his cheek, the burn of fire under his fingertips… It rose high in the air, daring to blot out the stars high above. The smoke morphed and grew and smoldered. Angry. Envious…

Erebus growled- a sound so low yet menacing that even the wind was forced to hush itself. He listened for a second, and then cracked his knuckles- and then his neck. Blood flowed freer and faster through his veins. He felt alive. Cold…but alive.

Grass crunched under him as he hiked up the hill before the wide and open stretch in the fields. He sniffed the smoke-filled air, tasted the fear and anger on his tongue. Movement. He crouched low, nearly on his hands and knees, and crawled ever so slowly forward. Worms dug through the earth below, ants carried half-eaten little leaves along their back, and the dirt churned under him. The earth was constantly changing beneath him- slowly but surely, and he could feel ever bit of it. Every sound, every pound, every footstep.

He could see the tops of dirty, dusty, brown tents, like ugly thorns poking the helpless sky. Held up by sticks, anything could suddenly send them tumbling down and into the lit candles inside. Silhouettes shaped into the light- moving, changing, disappearing… A sickening, electrifying chill ran up his spine, and his eyes ran cold and nearly dead. Unable to blink, he was forced to rub around his eyes- try to find some way to end the aching throb inside him and his burning, dry eyes.

But there was something that drew him away from his problems, and rather to focus once again at the camp. They were in plain view, he realized, but his enemy probably knew well enough there would be no one to stand up against him after such a change of luck. Of course, Erebus wasn't like "no one" and "no body". He was different- completely different, and he refused to leave Ganon alone and in charge.

He recognized instantly Semele's figure near the campfire. Her back was to him, but her blazing red hair was enough to signify the familiarity that coursed through him. And without realizing it his mind did something other than encourage a warm welcome. Instead, his mind told him to hate her, to despise her. His body wanted badly to wrap his hands around her neck, to see those dark, blood-red eyes lose their source of sight and life.

As Ganon's burly form stepped into view, Erebus felt nearly the same as he had before: hatred, contempt…but then his thoughts strayed to red eyes…lifeless… He shook his head, teeth clenched, and nostrils flaring. What was wrong with him? His enemy was Ganon- not Semele…! Not the Sheikah race…

He pulled her hair, forcing her to stumble backwards with hands fumbling to free herself. She choked out a horrid cry, begging for mercy. Those once scattered amongst themselves gathered around the blazing fire where Ganon and Semele stood beside it. She stepped awfully close to the blazing fire, and Erebus found himself wondering if Ganon would actually bring harm to her.

"Do you see?" Ganon's voice rang clear as the midday bell in Hyrule Castle Town, "Disobey _me_, and this will be what you will _wish _for." He threw her down onto the ground, head hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Whimpers, whispers.

Ganon disappeared inside one of the larger tents, large silhouette blocking out the glowing candle inside. He had left, but those outside feared him enough to leave the leader's wife to fend for herself.

Erebus grimaced. His _body_ told him to go to her, to finish what his mind wanted. But somehow that hadn't been his very first intentions. For the first time, he wished he hadn't left the safety of the village. _Foolish_… Impa's words echoed in his ears.

Minutes past, and the only movement that gave recognition that she was still alive was the shaking of her fragile shoulders. She was sobbing into the ground, fingers grazing the cold dirt. The other Sheikah were in their tents, covering their ears, and praying to the goddesses she would stop crying so their guilt could finally subside.

But it didn't, and Erebus was the one to respond to the guilt. He deftly snuck toward the campfire, his form nearly shapeless in the dark. Merely his eyes glowed, but no one was there to see it- not even his wife.

Once he reached her, he took hold of her shoulders, but bit his lip in the process. He almost convulsed with shaking, fighting off the sickening ache to cut off her lifeline. But when her breath caught, he slowly but gently rolled her onto her back and placed a hand to her mouth. Her skin paled, her once pink nose draining to a deathly pale color. However, Erebus wasn't focusing on her skin, but rather her eyes. She whimpered, heart hammering… Her eyes. Her jerky movements that were a useless attempt at trying to get away were nothing against him. He was too busy searching for her eyes, hoping her stitched eyelids would suddenly open.

"Semele…" He said softly, his voice cracking in the process; "Semele… What happened?"

Anger died away inside of him; the burning, itching ache that crawled through his very skin and bones slightly receded, and his body no longer wished to wrap hands around her neck. Relief, and he pulled away his cold hand.

Her lips were blue, he noticed, as she stuttered for words, "Who are you?"

"Semele," he whispered frantically, "It is me, Erebus…"

She found way with her hands to his collar, and to his face. They were hesitant, yet warm. They traced the outline of his face, while he watched her bruised eyes in horror. "Erebus…love…" She choked a sob, "Why are you so cold?"

"Cold?" He repeated mutely; "I'm so sorry… What have they done to you? Oh, Semele…"

She smiled bitterly, shivering uncontrollably, but nonetheless gathered herself into his hesitant arms. "I am…I… I only thought of Fido… I'm so sorry…"

Shuffling… Others were waking, others he didn't want to see or hear from. Old anger arose, and new anger as well.

"Hush," he stroked her hair, breathing in her scent, "They are waking…"

"We must leave, Erebus…" She continued on, head whipping upward as if she were to look at him; "We must get home…"

"No, no…" Erebus wanted to shut his eyes, to feel warmth in them. Everything was becoming unfocused and uneven. And yet, he couldn't cry. "I cannot stay, Semele…"

She gripped harder his shirt, but her strength was no match for him. He quickly but cautiously removed her hands from his shirt, placing them on her lap. "Do not leave, Erebus, please…"

"I…" Erebus held his breath, wishing that his body wouldn't go rigid like that, or wish for blood-red eyes to fill his ugly blue vision.

"Take me with you, Erebus…" She grew urgent, whispering fiercely and desperately into his ear.

But he couldn't, they wouldn't let him… If he took her, _he_ would follow, and she would be a horrible bystander in case something happened. Erebus just couldn't let that happen.

"I will return, I promise you," he said, jaw setting arrogantly, "But I must go…"

"Erebus," she cried, as blood seeped through the closed stitches, sticking to whatever remained of her eyelashes; "Don't leave, please…"

He stood up, as footsteps pounded in his ears and shuffling grew more frequent. "Semele, I love you, but you must listen…"

"No…" Her voice rasped, and then faded.

"You!" Ganon's voice boomed.

Semele froze, grip loosening on Erebus's shirt. He pulled away completely, but kept himself firmly planted between Semele and the tawny-eyed Gerudo. Until the other Sheikah arrived, he had been sure whom he had to fight.

Now his skin crawled, his bones ached, and he longed to turn his head and gaze at the beautiful people surrounding him. He bared his teeth, growling, and squared his shoulders.

"Something has changed you, Erebus," Ganon remarked with a smirk, "Your eyes have become black like my heart. A change I rather like. Have you finally sided with me?"

Erebus laughed bitterly, harsh and unexpected for the Sheikah tribe that had looked up to him so often. They shivered with fright, now, and Erebus reveled with pleasure. He would enjoy this.

"Something _has _changed…"

"Much has changed," Erebus interrupted, "But you will be begging for mercy even before I am finished."

Ganon laughed, "I see, then. Your power comes from those too foolish to know what they do. But, what do you plan to do, Erebus?"

The Sheikah grinned, pearly whites appearing eerily sharper than normal in the blushing flames of the campfire. "Much that you will regret."

"Will I?" Ganon mused, folding his arms across his chest and gazing around him- at the Sheikah tribe. They cowered closer to each other, red eyes duller but overwhelmed with tears nonetheless.

"Yes," Erebus hissed, enjoying every word that came from him, knowing he would be undoubtedly true to his word, "You see, you forget how the goddesses rule this land, and…" He laughed gruffly- unlike him terribly, "You believed you could get away with taking half the Sheikah tribe and forcing them to actually work for you…"

Ganon's smile slowly faded as Erebus continued: "So you must be wondering what _I _am here for… Well, I will tell you…"

"Please do," Ganon said venomously, eyes ablaze.

"I am here to destroy you," Erebus remarked simply, "And your supposed army."

"Erebus!" Semele voiced after the sudden silence. She struggled to stand without help, but managed otherwise to right herself. "Please. What are you thinking?"

Ganon suddenly laughed, lips curving upward in a vicious smirk, "Your darling husband has been reborn into a puppet. If only you could see, dear Semele. He has changed completely."

"Reborn," Erebus repeated numbly, an electrifying sensation traveling through his body on invisible currents. He lost sense of the ground underneath him, forgetting the cool breeze or the twinkling stars. The icy chill inside him took over, turning his bones into stone that forged him into something more than unmovable. Instead, his body moved for him, taking complete charge, and left his mind to wander into inexcusable ecstasy that strived for blood he would soon have.

And as soon as this chill took over, climbing surreptitiously yet quickly in strength and in volume, everyone knew. The Sheikah tribe felt old power well inside them, as their eyes burned with tears, and their hearts pounded in excitement. A fight was waiting to be had, and even their mind power wasn't enough to stop them from what their skin desired so badly. Their eyes blazed, and their shoulders squared. They watched a dark-eyed man instead of the tawny-eyed one that now ordered them to fight against their once leader.

But they blazed forward, faster than the speed of sound, toward Erebus. Teeth bared and hands more like claws, they reached to tackle him to the ground. Air pulled them downward onto the ground, empty-handed. They growled, a few in crouched positions, sniffing around them for a clue. Erebus had disappeared from under them. Faster than the speed of light, he finally appeared. Eyes menacing black depths, he watched them steadily. Their moves were precise, perfect as a Sheikah was meant to be. But he was something other than Sheikah. He was what the Sheikah had been deprived from. His strength and cruelty had become his strong points, and his weak points were very little.

They would have to control him to weaken him, but there was no controlling someone like him. A puppet, he remembered. He hated himself, but nonetheless, he felt appraisal as his skin tore against another person's flesh. Blood was vivacious and red, and eyes dulled and died and disappeared before him.

Reborn. Again and again. But his heart felt like dying.

XxxxXxxxX

The moon disappeared below the horizon a few hours later, drawing out hues of pinks and oranges and purples as the sky changed. The sun rose steadily, beaming its rays mercilessly onto the blood-soaked ground and highlighting the silhouettes of still bodies and their pale, white faces.

"Ganon is gone," Semele croaked, wiping dry blood from her cheeks, "Erebus, kill me."

Erebus held tighter onto her hand, closing his eyes for a few seconds and biting back a sob, "No. Never."

"Do it," she said harshly, placing cold fingertips on his now warm skin, "Must I tear these stitches for you to do it?" She reached for her eyes, face distorting in pain.

Erebus pulled her hands away quickly, "I won't let you… Semele…" He stopped, eyeing his blood-soaked hands and the dirt and flesh under his fingernails. They held tightly onto Semele's cool, pale ones, and he felt dreadful and sick to his stomach. "I will take you to the village, but I cannot enter. Not now…not with this…"

"What have they done to you?" Semele whispered harshly, as Erebus ran fingers along her blazing hair, becoming lost in the now limp but soft curls that shone in the sunlight.

"It is something that has been placed upon me by the goddesses, Semele," Erebus replied, "There is nothing I can do, now. Gannon will continue this war until the last of us is gone, but I cannot allow it."

"But, whose side are you on?" Semele asked anxiously, "How can you fight for the Royal Family yet kill those that have been placed to protect them?"

Erebus chuckled, cold and lifeless. She was right. If it were up to him, the entire Sheikah race would be destroyed. Wherever they were during this war, he could find them. Always.

"Do you see those walls, Semele?" He whispered into her ear, and she would have interjected hadn't he quickly shushed her. "You remember them, and I know you can see those rock walls towering over us like prison walls. There is freedom beyond those walls- where I will never cross. You must escape from there, and promise me to take Fido with you…"

"No," Semele's tone shocked Erebus, and she was the one to hush him now; "I will not leave you…"

"Think of Fido," Erebus interjected, eyebrows furrowing; "Think of the others in our tribe, Semele. They will vanish if they stay here. I will come after them, I know I will. And I cannot let myself, or allow for the goddesses do such a thing. They do not rule the lands beyond this one, Semele. You will be free, until I have been rid of. I will turn to the Royal Family, plea for my life, but also plea to be hidden from the outside world."

"No…" Semele had lost sense of her words, and they came from her mouth jumbled and uncontrolled. She was outraged beyond any knowing, and she shook with hurt and deprivation. She grew nauseated, delusional, and hallucinated in the midst of being in her husband's arms.

A few minutes later, she was still. Hunger had deprived her, and so her body shook with cold. Erebus wrapped his arms tighter around her, but continued nonetheless to lift her up. He carried her in his arms, exhausted as he was, to the village. Impa was at the steps. Erebus felt her before he saw her, and froze for a second in his tread

"Erebus, where are you, you idiot?" He heard her whisper in aggravation.

Erebus felt the familiar rush of adrenaline, the chill up his spine, the burning in his eyes that he could not blink away. But he forced it back into the smallest corner of his mind. His skin crawled, yet he continued.

"Impa!" He called to her softly at first, and then another time. He heard her head snap his direction, her breath catching. She could see him, and Erebus saw her, but he refused to look her way. "Don't come closer!" He called.

"What?" She screamed in anger, red eyes glowing, "Where have you been? Who is that? Erebus!"

"Impa!" He warned, "Stay away from me, Impa. Please, trust me…"

"But, why?" She nearly pleaded, eyebrows furrowing.

Erebus dared to step onto the small, stone bridge. "I'm cursed, Impa. And you must listen to Semele…"

"Semele?" Recognition crossed Impa's features, and it took all her might not to run toward them.

"Semele," Erebus whispered into her red hair, kissing her forehead soon after, "Semele, you must tell them what I told you, and what I will tell you now. You will go to the Zoras, do you understand?"

She nodded slowly, lips quivering, but remained silent.

"The Zoras know the way out of here, Semele. Tell them that I, Erebus- the leader of the tribe…" He laughed softly, kissing her head again, "Yours always and forever, sent you. You will take the tribe- as many as are willing, to this place without anyone else knowing. Do you understand? Not the Royal Family, not even Ganon shall know. Keep it a secret, Semele. You must disappear…"

"If you follow, Erebus…if not, I will stay…" She replied softly.

Erebus grimaced, unable any longer to look at her stitched eyes. It was all he could do if he wanted to hide the truth from her. "I will follow…"

She sniffled, and then placed a hand on his cold cheek, "Do you promise me?"

He nodded stiffly, mournfully, "Yes, I will… I do…" His eyes didn't sting with the lie, nor did tears drip down his cheeks. He carefully placed her on the ground, allowing for her warmth to dissipate into his skin and then quickly evaporate. He ran a cold fingertip along her jaw line, memorizing every detail of her into his mind. And then, he pushed away and disappeared.

XxxxXxxxX

The remnants of night slowly dissipated into dawn, and Erebus found himself wandering in the nearly empty market. Merchants were just beginning to set their stands, and townspeople had just begun to wake. It would be a while, he realized, until someone would find the corpses in the abandoned camp out in the fields.

Until then, he needed to rest. It would be soon before he turned himself into the Royal Family, and he wanted to spend his last moments as a free man in peace. He found a spot on the stone steps leading to the Temple of Time, but to a surmounting guilt, he couldn't leave his back to the towering holy ground. Instead, he pushed himself back up, ignoring his aches and pains, and strode across the garden. He passed the pond with slight indifference, unable to look at his reflection in the water as much as he could look upon his wife without feeling horrible remorse.

He had become a monster, and he told himself that over and over again, but unable to come to any conclusion as to whether it was really true or not what he repeated to himself. Nonetheless, he entered the temple, marveling at its stone structure and mosaic windows and marble tiles. As he stepped inside, the steady rhythm of the monk's singing entered his ears. It calmed him immensely, and he relaxed for the first time since he had left the village the night before. His boots pit-patted on the red velvet of the carpet beneath him, and he gazed at it almost lovingly. Red, but it welcomed him further inside the sanctuary.

The mosaic windows glittered in the sunlight from outside, sending shadows and waves of colorful lights shimmering on the gleaming marble tile. The pictures the colorful glass sent shivers up Erebus's spine, and he hated having to look at them with such ease. They told of a story he hated to remember, but even the truth he could not hide from now. The coldness inside of him was still there, sleeping but breathing, and it allowed for once silenced Sheikah ways to re-enter. So he stopped just before the pedestal where the Triforce was marked, and one by one retraced the story of the gods through the mosaics.

An everlasting hatred built inside him, as he remembered the ways that the goddesses inhibited the dead lands, and created a place with animals and beauty and order. And with it, he knew the Sheikah had been ruthlessly created for one purpose after the growth of evil in the Gerudo tribe. He shuddered, and looked away. Closing his eyes, he allowed for the dooming voices of the monks to seep inside him. The songs reverberated through them, and he listened to the drawn out words carefully despite the difficult clarity of their meanings. They sung of Hyrule and the goddesses, and most importantly, the Triforce. It repelled him, as his fingers numbed to coldness and traveled inside his body electrifyingly quick.

The Sheikah were nearby- he could feel it, and they weren't alone. Before turning around to face the exit, or entrance, he willed himself another last look around the temple, memorizing everything as he had earlier with Semele. He didn't want to forget- in case something happened and he never saw anything this grand ever again, or anyone as beautiful and loving as Semele.

One last blink, and then his eyes froze open. Cold withered his old thoughts away, and he stood tall and straight, and unblinking. This was it, he realized numbly. They had undoubtedly surrounded him- quicker than he would have thought. But, then again, Semele could have told Impa what had happened, and despite Semele's objections, Impa had gone on a whim to see the campfire; she had seen his destruction, ordered the tribe to follow him here, and now even the Hylian army had gathered.

"Perfect," he growled, taking an icy inhale of breath. The monk's lyrics entered his mind clearer now, and he wanted badly to shake them away.

_Lie still, in the guardian's keep_

_Nothing can protect you, keep your wit_

_For the goddesses have a plan_

_Thou shall never know_

_Until the plains heave gold_

_And the stars turn to pearls_

_When ruler is all and everything_

_And evil has vanished from the sight_

It was nothing to him, until he remembered the part to come. His fingers itched to crawl up warm skin, and his eyes burned with ferocity to see living blood before him. But he stood still to listen.

_Cold stillness bites like venom_

_Burns and aches like a spear to the chest_

_Throw away your anger, subside to the Ones_

_There is nothing to fear, nothing to hide from_

_Do your will, end your pains_

A loud, pained sound came from his throat, and he didn't realize it had escaped from his own lips until it echoed in the sanctuary and rattled his bones.

Fear flamed from his chest, beating with the momentum of the hundreds of men and women waiting outside for him. They had heard his anguished cry, and their ears flicked away with torment. He had no choice, now, but to go forward. The monk's song repeated over and over inside his head and it slowly but surely coaxed him forward, and out into the dawn's light.

XxxxXxxxX

At the crack of dawn, the Royal Family had been notified of the massacre in the fields. Outraged, they placed the best of their men in the forefront, in search of the killer. With the remaining Sheikah tribe, they followed the killer to the Temple of Time and waited with a militia of men carrying weapons such as swords and spears, bows and arrows, clubs and knives, twisted daggers and sharp swords. They surrounded the sanctuary, anxious but ready for a fight with Hades himself.

Unfortunately, they were encountered by someone other than the god of the Underworld. They encountered someone that seemed more like the god of war. His siding was uncertain, and although the goddesses had bestowed him with powers, he was sent to kill the Sheikah tribe. It remained true that the Royal Family would simply have to fight for the cursed tribe to gain protection so wrongly given to them at a time of confusion and despair. Ganon was lucky with this, however. He wouldn't have to face the strong tribe at the battlefront in front of the market where he waited. His own men and Gerudo women were ready for a bloody fight alongside him, and without much of his knowing the one that became known as the Bearer was just about to help him gain a step forward.

XxxxXxxxX

Erebus lost complete control of his body once he stepped outside. The bright sun blinded him, but his body seemed to know what to do. In an instant, he was dodging arrows and blocking attacks from angered Hylian soldiers. They were too weak for him, and he easily cut through them, throwing them aside like rag dolls with sharp, little toys. But once he reached the first Sheikah, he was completely aware of it. He felt nauseated, his mind reeling. Red eyes clouded his vision and disgust crawled under his skin like the slithering of snakes across rough bark.

_Snap_. He was done.

"Erebus!" His name sounded somewhere in the distance, but he didn't see where it came from- nor was he allowed to look away.

Another fell dead in his arms, and he tossed the body away. The red was gone from its eyes anyway.

"Erebus, _stop_!" And he was tackled to the hard ground. He wrestled angrily, wishing he could dissipate into the dirt and reappear elsewhere. But it was useless. He made the mistake of looking up, now, which sent his blood rushing through his veins faster and faster.

Blood red eyes. Bewildered. Angry. Worried. He wanted it all to go away. But the Sheikah blinked, trying to shake away silvery hair.

"Erebus," Impa gasped, "What has happened to you?"

Erebus snarled, wanting to bite her hands away. "Get off!" He growled, "Leave me be…"

"Don't talk to me like that, boy," Impa matched his tone, but the harshness of his voice was left missing, "Who has done this to you? Tell me! And don't give me that look!"

"Your precious goddesses," Erebus snapped, sarcasm dripping in his remaining ferocity, "They have sent me to kill all of you…"

"All of us?" Impa remarked, "The Sheikah?"

"Yes," Erebus lessened his writhing, waiting painfully for Impa to loosen her grip, as her touch burned his skin, "Cursed, are you not? Like me… We have all been told our parts in this twisted world, Impa, and I will die if I do not obey… As will you…"

"Despicable," Impa spat, "You cannot do this…" Her grip gave the slightest hint of weakness, and Erebus pushed her away violently. She flew a few feet, and then hit the bricked ground headfirst. She groaned with the last remnants of strength, and then went unconscious.

Erebus pounced up, just barely dodging an arrow. _Hmph, cheap shot_, he thought bitterly, stealing the sword of a retreating soldier only to rear it into the man's stomach. He drew it out swiftly, and glanced at the blood that dripped from the blade's tip, wondering if the quench he thirsted for would soon be relieved. It wasn't, and he continued in search of the remaining Sheikah. Most had already dispersed, backing away from them due to a gold-clad soldier screaming orders.

The Sheikah were evacuating, their short onslaught upon him becoming a nightmare. He chuckled lowly, feeling the strength he desired so much reign inside him stronger and fuller. He then turned around to face the fallen Sheikah, whom was barely waking. Her eyelids fluttered open, as she placed a hand to her forehead.

"Are you ready to surrender?" Erebus asked, placing the bloody tip of the blade to Impa's throat.

The Sheikah glanced up at him, red eyes glistening with brimming tears, "So it is true, then."

Erebus grinned, fighting back the urge to plunge the sword, "It is."

"You did not choose this fate, I understand," Impa continued, unmoving in her position but looking quite calm as she lowered her hand from her head; "And you must miss terribly your family, now."

"Impa," Erebus seethed, hands twitching, "What are you doing?"

She lifted a brow in questioning, "What do you mean?"

Erebus scowled, finding it harder to look at her with such disdain, so in place of it took a nauseous feeling, "Stop it, Impa."

"Your family, Erebus," she ignored him, "Fido, he was distraught when he saw you gone. Only when Semele appeared did he finally become a little better…but her eyes…"

"_Impa_," Erebus grinded his teeth, finding it harder to speak or to stay still at all, and it became much more difficult with every second to not wrap his hands around her neck or to plunge the sword into her chest; "_Quiet._ Do you believe this is my doing? This is the work of your goddesses!"

Impa grew silent, testing Erebus's patience. And just as he was to lift the sword and plunge it back down, one beautiful blade glinted in the corner of his eyes. With so long of standing still, he felt too lightheaded and sick to move in time. The sharp sword was thrust brutally into his side, sending him to the ground like one of the many heavy rocks falling from the skies above Death Mountain.

"I am so sorry, Erebus," a familiar voice whispered to him, just after his knees had buckled and the blade was yanked away.

His head hit the hard ground, and the last of his blue-hued vision faded to blurry but colorful things. No longer did the reds of Impa's eyes stand out. Instead, he saw her skin and silvery hair. Beside her was a black-haired girl, a sharpened sword bleeding with his blood in her hand. She dropped it, and kneeled next to him.

"Evane?" He croaked unsurely, as the taste of sickly sweet copper entered his mouth. Bile then rose and he swallowed it down, gritting his teeth and shutting his aching eyes.

"I am sorry, Erebus, really," Evane repeated again, "I couldn't have let you…no… Please, forgive me."

He laughed suddenly, glancing up at her, "Do not be… You did the right thing…"

Impa took him by the shoulders slowly, placing his head on her lap. She rubbed away dry blood and pushed away soft curls from his eyes. "You are a brave one, I must say… You did the goddesses bidding, you did…"

Erebus smiled bitterly, "Will you do me a favor, then…? Even if I so blindly tried to kill you…"

"Of course, boy," Impa replied softly, sadness gripping her despite her more light-hearted tone, "Anything for you."

Erebus heard footsteps approaching, the _clank clank_ of metal, and waited while Impa shooed the weary soldiers away. He heard them grumble, but it left his mind as he remembered his request. "Get out of here, Impa…" He said finally, "Take Fido and Semele and leave Hyrule…"

"What?" Impa remarked in bewilderment, "Have you gone daft?" Then she stopped. Maybe those hadn't been the right choice of words.

"Evane," Erebus whispered, "You must listen. Take it upon all of you once you leave. You mustn't stay…"

"But…" Evane pursed her lips, glancing at Impa's still-puzzled gaze, "Why?"

"Because…" Erebus wanted to snap at her, as if she should already know the reason, but responded as fully as he could. "The Sheikah will not last…" A deep, shuddering breath, and then, "Ganon will come for all of you, if he must, and I cannot trust that the Hylians will do much to aid your quest unless it for their own benefit… "

"But we _are_ the benefit," Impa said, "They will help us, Erebus…"

Erebus closed his eyes tightly, the pain suddenly worsening so that it became harder to breathe, or to think. "No… I will not have Fido live here like this…nor Semele… There is a world outside this one, Impa… They will live there…"

"Is it any better?" Impa replied sardonically, "This world is the one that we know best…"

"One…" Erebus opened his eyes to glare, digging his nails into the ground. He willed himself to keep breathing, keep thinking…forget the wetness under him, reaching his hands to coat the palms in sickly red. "That will pass through famine…and disease… The other world we can fight better... This one…they cannot fight the goddesses…"

Impa bit her lip, unknowingly drawing blood during her wistful thinking.

"I will go."

"What?" Impa shook her head, "Evane…I…"

"Yes," the girl interjected, turning to Erebus, ready to agree to his terms, but stopped.

The red from his eyes had disappeared, leaving black tendrils to spread like vines across his pale skin, wrapping like ivy around his neck and to his face, where they reached the corners of his eyes. Like pinpricks among the sclera and its veins, it reached to the very center of his pale eyes, spiraling until it disappeared in the dark abyss of his dilated pupils.

"Oh, Erebus…" Impa sighed, tears once again falling from her eyes as she sobbed for her cousin and the very first death of the first Bearer- that would bring others in his Sheikah bloodline the very same fate.

"This will not end, will it?" Evane whispered.

Impa shook her head, eyes burning, "You will go, Evane. Half the tribe will be in your care, and you will- with the help of those with you- do everything in your power to stay alive in that world."

"No matter what?" Evane murmured.

Impa placed her hand over Erebus's eyes, slowly closing them shut forever, "No matter what."

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Sixteen pages. Yay. Anyway, that about wraps up Erebus's story, the man who created the Lens of Truth and became the first Bearer ever. You also find out how the Sheikah bloodline got loose in the outside world, explaining how Jade and Troy Oren had Sheikah blood in them, which could have come from either Kado or Isabella. Anyway, thanks for reading y'all and hope you stay posted for the next chapter- where Kenny and Ryuichi come back.


	9. Just Saying

_**Seeing Past Darkness**_

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Chapter 8: Just Saying

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"What are you doing?"

Ryuichi ignored his brother, stuffing a roll of duct tape into his black duffel bag, the one he usually used to stuff his old gym clothes and football in. But he hadn't minded throwing that stuff out for something much more important.

"Hey, bro, are you deaf?" Kenny remarked, yanking the duffel bag from Ryuichi's grip. The older Sheikah growled lowly, reaching out to snatch it back. Kenny was too fast, giving him a chance to throw the bag all the way across the room.

"Watch it!" Ryuichi snapped, glancing at the duffel bag as it hit the wall dead center before dropping to the floor.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kenny asked before Ryuichi had the chance to say the same thing.

"What do you_ think_ I'm doing?" Ryuichi muttered, pushing Kenny away and stalking over to pick up his duffel bag, limp but heavy and dragging.

"You aren't going to kill her," Kenny said, "Dad will kill _you_ if he finds out."

"What more can he do that Zelda can't, hmm?" Ryuichi said, zipping up the duffel bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He then sent his brother a malicious glare, as if daring him to stop him now. But Kenny hardly paid any heed to his brother's spiky stares, and instead rushed to block him from escaping the room.

"Kenny," Ryuichi rolled his eyes, not amused, "You _do_ know I don't need the door to get out of here."

"Oh, right," Kenny moved away from the door, letting his brother pass before following him down the corridor and down the spiraling staircase. "Okay, so what do you plan on doing, Ryuichi? Hm? Sneaking into her room while she's sleeping and steal her?"

Ryuichi snorted, "Yeah, I'm going to 'steal' her…"

"Don't you dare," Kenny warned, grabbing the collar of his brother's shirt and spinning him around, "I won't let you go."

"Really?" Ryuichi cocked his head, mischief blazing in his eyes, "Why don't you try and stop me?" And in a second he disappeared, leaving his shirt in Kenny's fist.

XxxxXxxxX

The December chill of night bit Kenny to the bone, and the cold brick exterior against his back ran a shiver up his spine. He refused to go back, however, and continued prowling about the backyard, shifting his eyes back and forth. Any change in the windows or the lighting, he had to make sure he watched for anything- any sign of his brother. But soon after, he found himself walking along the dim hallways, hiding himself along the shadows and sniffing out his brother's cologne.

Ryuichi was in there somewhere, but he wasn't exactly sure if he was stupid enough to sneak into the sleeping girl's room. Of course, it was too soon to speak. Kenny stood in front of the girl's room, the door half open; beyond it, he could see a silhouette half-shadowing the window. In the corner where the bed stood against one wall, he could see the girl, chest rising and falling in blissful sleep. He wondered what would happen if his brother decided then and there to take her innocent life- the one she had barely lived. Had she even had her first kiss? What about prom and graduation? She was only a freshman after all.

He pushed the door softly aside, and stepped inside the room. His special senses allowed him to see better in the darkness, and he could easily recognize his brother, shirtless but standing tall and grimacing, in the darkness.

"What are you doing here?" Ryuichi hissed, voice nearly incoherent.

Kenny stepped closer to the middle of the room, watching the girl shift onto her back and sigh. Her eyes didn't flutter open, and he then turned to face Ryuichi. "Can you really kill her, Ryuichi? She's just an innocent girl…"

"Innocent?" Ryuichi spat, glowing red eyes glimpsing at the girl with disdain, "She'll be the ruin of us all."

Kenny shook his head, anger rising, but then he forced down his voice to a fierce whisper, "_Her_? What has _she_ done?"

"Nothing yet," Ryuichi muttered, "But she will, and what our ancestors freed us from will come back to us, and you expect me to just wait…"

"I expect you to protect her, Ryuichi…" Kenny suddenly went silent, hearing a soft moan come from the bed.

"Hide…" He heard his brother whisper, and they both fell to the ground soundlessly.

"What the…?" The girl breathed, rubbing her eyes groggily.

Kenny bit his lip, trying to bite away the pain in his aching wrists from the quick fall to the hardwood flooring. He kept his chest away from the floor, afraid he would make more noise, as if he needed another stabbing stare from his brother beside him.

"Oh, God…" The girl muttered sleepily, shuffling in the bed, "I'm hallucinating…"

Kenny furrowed his eyebrows. How long was he going to stay this way? He felt pathetic, hiding on some pathetic girl's floor while he could be easily in his own girlfriend's room doing something other than hiding in the darkness with his brother. He rolled his eyes as, he heard the girl sigh, and then tried his best not to feel any sympathy for her- any ounce of remorse. It was just an assignment, he tried to reason to himself, she was nothing to him- nothing at all.

A few minutes later, with his chest finally resting completely on the cold floor underneath and the methodical breathing of the girl in the bed, Kenny gestured to his brother to leave. Ryuichi glared, mouthing a curse word and delivering the gesture as well, before doing as he was told- for once.

Kenny was left on the floor, alone, and he pondered if he should just wait there to make sure his brother didn't return. But he found himself standing up, knees cracking from the deliberate change in movement. The first thing he noticed was the girl- sleeping once again. He wondered if he could manipulate her dreams, make her think she heard something… Or maybe something completely different all together…

He shook his head and sighed. That was a ridiculous thought. Besides, his parents would come after him if he tried a stunt like that. Shrugging mentally, he then proceeded to scope out her room. Moss green walls, beige-colored furniture, alabaster curtains… His gaze wandered to the mirror on the dresser, reflecting his own perfectly clear image and his cat-like eyes. No, his eyes were more than mere cat-like. He could see everything in color, in subtle hints of each and ever item in the room. He could see the silver hue of the small candle holder on the dresser, and then the pale blue of the unused candle itself.

Then his eyes landed on the girl again- pale skin, dark hair- almost Mediterranean, maybe Spanish… Kenny rolled his eyes. _What am I doing here?_ But he didn't answer his own question, and dipped forward, afraid to arouse the sleeping girl. He was so close to her, he wondered if he would ever get to be _this_ close anymore- in her vulnerable, dreamlike state. He could get into her mind- find out what she was really thinking. _No, no, no…_ Why couldn't he stray from that thought? As if the power he held over her could lead to something far greater than anyone would expect. She could be history, he pondered, a mere nothing. No one would remember…

Fear, blood rush, endearment, ecstasy, betrayal, love, death…

But then his focus fell short.

Her alarm went off. It was five-thirty in the morning. Kenny snapped out of his daze, disappearing just as the girl slammed her hand on the snooze button.

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"I can't believe you almost did that, Kenny," Ryuichi's words were the first that rang in Kenny's ears as he reappeared in their living room.

"Did what?" Kenny hissed, shaking his head side to side to get rid of the droning ring in his ears. "I saved your sorry ass."

"I could have saved all of us plenty of trouble," Ryuichi remarked, "Now our parents have to endure another day of this torture."

"You should be lucky they're still sleeping, Ryuichi," Kenny said, eyes narrowed into slits at his brother, "Or else I'd go and tell them all the shit you've been planning."

Ryuichi's hands balled into fists, ready to send his brother a blow to the nose; "You'd regret it."

"Yeah," Kenny shook his head, "Just like you will if you kill that girl."

"You don't get it, do you?" The older brother scoffed, shaking his head. Coolness suddenly reigned over him, and he relaxed his shoulders.

"Get what?" Kenny interjected, snarling, "That you want to turn into a human murderer? Become like one of them?"

"Look who's talking," Ryuichi retorted with a smirk, "The one who's slept with a human."

Kenny gritted his teeth, a low growl emanating from his throat. Malice glinted in his eyes, as he took a careless lunge for his brother. Ryuichi caught him by the collar of his shirt, however, and dragged him against the nearest wall. _Bam_, the sound reverberated in the living room, rattling hanging picture frames and lamp walls and echoing up the silent and dark staircase.

Ryuichi cocked his head to the side, lips curled into a wry smirk, "I'm right, then, aren't I?"

"Shut up," Kenny could merely retort, as he fought to catch his breath, "You have no idea what you're talking about."

The elder one laughed bitterly, keeping it low but menacing enough to singe Kenny's nerves; "I do, actually, and I know you're making a big mistake. And I'm going to show you exactly how, too."

Kenny shook his head, "Don't do anything stupid."

Then Ryuichi grinned, pearly whites a little too sharp in the dimness, "I'm keeping _you_ from doing something stupid." He released his hold on Kenny's shirt, lowering him back to his feet rather than the tip of his toes before backing away.

The younger Sheikah rubbed his neck, stealing furious glances at Ryuichi.

"Sorry," Ryuichi whispered, although the look in his eyes made it a fact that he was proud of himself.

"Whatever," Kenny grimaced- disgusted, turning around, "Just don't do that again- especially when you don't have a shirt." He shuddered. "Save that for the girl you're trying to save."

Ryuichi laughed tightly, "I will. And you?"

Kenny stopped at the entrance to the foyer, contemplating his brother's words. "And me, what?"

"You can't tell me Liyanne is the girl?"

"I…" Kenny hesitated, eyebrows furrowing, "Just stay out of that."

"I'm only watching out for you, bro," Ryuichi shrugged, "And I know what I'm doing is right."

Kenny shook his head, stealing one last glance at his brother, "No, you're only following what Zelda told you. You can't see the truth in that anymore."

"And you can?" Ryuichi questioned.

The younger Sheikah smiled to himself, as he began his ascent up the spiraling staircase; "No. Just the lies."

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Heh, I just love using the cheesy lines in sync with the titles. Anyway, I'm sorry for many things: the shortness, the briefness, the filler-in-ness, the lameness, and any typos. But I hope you all enjoyed. I haven't exactly had a great updating schedule. But, guess what? Summer is on its way- updating season! Wow, it's been so long since an update it feels odd to write an AU. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed. Please go have a look at my poll after you pretty please review and come back and continue to read! Thank you!

xblux


	10. Obsession

**_Seeing Past Darkness_**

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Chapter 9: Obsession

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"Merry Christmas, Kenny!" Carrie Blake smiled sweetly to her son, embracing him tightly.

"Mom!" Kenny gasped, fighting to wrench away from her, "That is a very, very rude awakening, you know?"

The dark-haired woman let go of the boy, and he plopped back down on his bed and covered his head with his blankets, groaning in annoyance.

"Wake up, Kenny!" She said, ruffling his head roughly through the covers, "Your brother is up and ready to open his presents."

Kenny snorted, "Liar. Ryuichi never wakes up early."

He could hear his mother pouting through her words, as she ran her hands through her cropped hair; "All right, fine. But your father made breakfast and we want to open _our_ presents."

Kenny rolled his eyes and sighed. Sleep still weighed over his eyes, and his mind reeled with possible answers to give his mother just so she could leave him alone for another ten minutes or so. But it didn't seem so, since his thoughts suddenly went back to Jade- yes, her. When was it that he suddenly began to refer to her as more than just the "girl"? She was more than that- more than he had ever realized. He was the girl he watched every day since November- ever since his brother had gone crack on him and tried to kill her. No, he couldn't let his eyes off her for one second. This meant keeping an eye on her even when his brother seemed to be doing something as "innocent" as going to school. What if Ryuichi decided to ditch, or skip his sleep at night and go after her, again?

No, no, Kenny dropped his hands to his side, just as his mother gave up on him and his sudden silence to leave the room. He couldn't take any chances, couldn't let his eyes off her for one second. Off of Jade. He knew her so well, too. How could he let Ryuichi _kill _her? The brown of her eyes would dull, and her fair skin would pale so ghostly he'd gag. _And, my God, her lips_, Kenny groaned mentally. They seemed so perfect, so soft- he wanted so much to feel them under his own lips…

He grabbed the pillow under his head, threw it over his face, and screamed.

"No, no, no…" Why'd he have to wake up? Why did he even open his eyes? He should have feigned sleep- as if exhausted by his constant surveillance of "the girl"… His mother would find out, however, and then his father, as well. They would know why he watched her so relentlessly, and then they'd know of Ryuichi's plans- and then of Zelda, as well.

But everything so far was going well, Kenny tried to reason. No Zelda, no Ryuichi attempting murder, and still-naïve parents. _Yeah_, he sighed, but something wasn't right. He tried to lie and tell himself everything was great. It was Christmas Day, after all, and he had forced himself to stay away from _her_. Which was good, anyway? He could rest. Ryuichi wouldn't try anything, he was sure. He knew his brother wouldn't stir any time during his little two-week winter break from college.

"Kenny!" He heard his father calling in a sing-song voice. The Sheikah uncovered his head to stare at the drab ceiling, as the scent of pancakes and sweet sausage traveled up the staircase, down the hall, into his room, and up his nostrils. Instantly, his mouth watered. No, he shut his eyes. He remembered the way her eyes had alighted at the breakfast her mother had set the day before. It wasn't every morning her parents had time to make breakfast.

He imagined himself sitting beside her, enjoying the same food she did, out of the same good china, in the same chair, at the same table… Gazing at her, wondering what she was thinking, why she was laughing or just smiling- every time her sister teased her about something from school- why that boy was giving her this odd look every time she walked past, or when that girl wouldn't shut up in biology. Kenny smirked to himself. He could remember the conversations she had between friends- the ones he sometimes just so vaguely was mentioned- so namelessly and mysteriously, however.

The strange dreams she remembered one morning and then forgot the next. The red eyes that somehow seemed to bore holes in her head would make her grow so uncomfortable during lunch or simply at home while she did her homework. She wouldn't know it was him, and he had to cope with that- no, never. He would never let her know how he felt, how he saw her. It was his secret to watch her- hardly a mission. Sometimes he forgot why he was watching her more than just to watch her, or why he would have to run out on certain people when he realized he had been away from her for too long.

It was his routine- simply put. And if he was forced away from her during the day he would go during the night. If he wasn't watching her, he would stay near Ryuichi. One way or the other. That's how it went. And he didn't complain any more.

Kenny stared at himself now in the bathroom mirror, as he rested the palms of his hands on the cold granite of the sink. His ruby red eyes burned, the usual white of the sclera now inked with red veins. Dark circles ran under his eyes, as well, and his skin had considerably paled. His hair seemed a little less vibrant, as it flopped over his forehead and haphazardly stuck out in every direction.

"I hate winter," he muttered, grabbing his toothbrush and squirting toothpaste on the brush. With a final tired glance at the sparkling blue of the paste, he began to brush his teeth half-heartedly. He knew this day would suck.

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"Open, open, open!" Carrie beamed at Ryuichi as she handed him his brightly red-wrapped present. It was a small box, to the say the least. The Sheikah felt more excitement toward looking at the pretty wrapping more than actually opening the gift inside. He hoped it wasn't a tie.

"Thanks, Mom," Ryuichi smiled, cheeks turning a pale pink as she continued to smile at him. He popped the tape off from the sides and took his time undoing the knotted green ribbon.

"It's from both me and your father," Carrie said, glancing at her husband wryly.

"God, Ryuichi," Kenny muttered, rushing down the stairs in a melodramatic blur, "I'll be eighty by the time you're done opening that present."

Ryuichi scowled, sticking his tongue at his brother. "I'm building the suspense."

John rolled his eyes, stretching his arms beside him before placing one over his wife's shoulders. She leaned into him and feigned a sigh, "And you're killing us."

"Okay, okay," Ryuichi tossed the ribbon aside and slid the white box out of the un-ripped gift wrap.

Kenny watched with sarcastic disdain, his eyes slowly roving over to the Christmas tree in the corner. Its white lights blinked at him knowingly, and suddenly he began to contrast their tall, silver and red tree to the one in Jade's own living room. Gold and red. Red. Kenny smiled for a split second, and then hid it quickly when Ryuichi jumped and screamed, "Holy shit!"

Of course, both their parents smiled with delight, and then quickly hid it to scold him for his use of language.

"Do you like?" Carrie asked.

Ryuichi's eyes were wide, as they reverted back and forth between his parents and then back to the sleek key on the ring dangling around his finger. "Are you kidding? I love it!"

"A car?" Kenny gawked, "I hate you, man."

Ryuichi grinned, "Is it outside?"

John shrugged, "I don't know. Why don't you go look?"

It didn't take much more than that for Ryuichi to rush out of the house and into the front lawn. With hands in the air he ran over to the silver 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse parked in the driveway.

"I can't believe…! This is…!" Ryuichi gasped for breath, before sprinting toward the driver's side and then- remembering, looking inside. With tinted windows, however, it made it nearly impossible to see the interior of the car.

"Isn't it illegal to have 'em that dark?" Kenny said, folding his arms across his chest defiantly.

Carrie beamed, "You would think so."

"Ugh," Kenny shrugged, "Whatever, I'm going out tonight, okay?"

John turned to him suddenly, eyebrows furrowing in befuddlement, "It's Christmas, Kenny. Where are you going to go today, of all days?"

"Yeah, Christmas," Kenny retorted, "I don't understand why _we_ have to celebrate this holiday. We don't even…"

"Hush," Carrie interjected, "Ever since we moved here we promised to change and forget the past. The least you could do is celebrate with us."

"Oh, really?" Kenny began, "Then why do I have to keep an eye on J- that girl if you plan on forgetting the past?"

John glared at him, the bright red of his irises flashing through the once strong glamour, "We'll talk about this inside. Ryuichi!"

The Sheikah groaned, reluctantly jumping out of the driver's seat and shutting the door. "Way to ruin everything, Kenny." He snapped, passing by the younger brother as they walked inside.

"I thought _you, _Ryuichi,were keeping an eye on her," John began, motioning sternly for the boys to sit on the couch across from him. They obeyed, as their parents sat across from them, expressions grim.

"I, well," the elder brother began hesitantly, "I was, Dad, but some things came up and I wasn't able to… and Kenny…" He broke off, as his eyes began to burn. He shut them, cursing to himself for trying to lie.

John raised a brow at him before his eyes soon traveled to Kenny. The Sheikah straightened his back and squared his shoulders. "And you, Kenny?"

Kenny avoided his father's eyes. Instead, he traced the lines of the marble tile under his feet, skipping ripped and tossed wrapping papers taped haphazardly to the floor. He wanted to crumple it up in his fists and throw it in the trash. Clean. Yeah, he'd rather be cleaning at the moment. He hated his father's penetrative gaze- and it didn't take being sworn as a full-fledged Sheikah to feel shame every time a lie passed your lips.

When the youngest Sheikah didn't reply, John's gaze reverted back to Ryuichi. With a sigh, he began, "I had thought you could handle this, Ryuichi. Instead, you forced it upon Kenny."

"He didn't, Dad-…" Kenny tried to cut in, but one piercing glance from his father and he closed his mouth.

"We gave you that car because of all that we thought you had been doing," John grimaced, "But you don't deserve it."

Ryuichi's gaze fell, his head hanging low as the arms of his muscles tensed. He remained quiet, however, and gritted his teeth.

"Dad," Kenny finally said, after a long silence had passed a palpable wave over the living room, dulling the Christmas lights and graying the white-washed walls; "It's not Ryuichi's fault." He could feel his father's burning gaze on him, and he suddenly wondered if this was what Jade felt when he watched her. _It wasn't out of anger, though_, Kenny thought numbly, finally forcing himself to look up at the eldest Sheikah.

"Then who's fault is it, Kenneth?" John said, as the said boy cringed from the use of his full name.

Kenny sighed, muttering, "Mine."

"Yours?" Carrie beat John to it, as she leaned forward to gaze at her son, "_You _agreed to watch her?"

Kenny knew he couldn't tell her the truth, and it was only he that could actually lie. He breathed in slowly, glancing up at his mother; "I did. But after those few times you made me watch her for the sake of Ryuichi's studies-" he hated lying through his teeth, "well, I had nothing better to do, I suppose. You're keeping me home-schooled anyway. I don't see why Ryuichi has to take time from his schooling to watch over her when I have plenty of time on my hands."

"I hardly…" John stopped, reconsidering his words- and Kenny's; "You would take over for your brother?"

"I already have," Kenny said, shrugging.

Carrie shook his head, "I don't know; I don't want you out there-…"

"So you'd place Ryuichi there?" Kenny interjected.

His mother pursed her lips, and then sighed, shoulders stooping; "We'll let you watch over her-…"

"For a certain amount of time…" John finished, "Until Ryuichi finishes this next quarter, you'll watch over her. Once he's finished, you are, too."

Kenny bit his lip decisively, but nodded anyway. He then glanced at the torn Ryuichi. The Sheikah was fighting a losing battle inside him, as he clenched his hands into fists and squared his shoulders. Being ordered to do nothing about the girl was hurting him inside, causing his eyes to burn and his nerves to pulse with a nauseating sensation that urged him to move. But he didn't- he couldn't.

Slowly, Ryuichi nodded. But their parents were beginning to see the smoldering pain inside him, reflecting in his eyes.

"So," Kenny broke the silence, his skin crawling from sitting too close to Ryuichi, "Can he keep the car?"

They thought for a moment- as if parents could hear each other inside their heads and make such decisions so decisively. "All right," Carrie finally replied, "You can keep the car. But you can't be out any later than eleven."

"Eleven-thirty," Ryuichi finally remarked, eyes wide with gloating hope.

"Fine," John said, "Now go take it for a spin."

Ryuichi smiled, standing up and taking out his brand new car keys, "Want to come along?"

They snickered, parents sharing secretive information through their minds, "No, we already rode it home, didn't we?"

Secret code for, "We already took it for a joyride."

Kenny ignored his parents' secret smiles and practically skipped over the door's threshold, bounding after Ryuichi.

"You coming, huh?" Ryuichi remarked an answerless question, glancing at his brother as he unlocked the car. It gave a crisp, clean beep that rang unceremoniously in the cold morning.

"I just need you to drop me off," Kenny said, returning the older boy's look with a knowing smile. "If it's no trouble, that is."

Ryuichi grimaced, _as if I'd want to anyway. _But he'd saved his neck in there, and the Sheikah nodded, as he pulled the driver's side door open. Kenny greeted him inside the car, inhaling the sickly overwhelming scent of new leather.

"You know that I can't trust you, still," Kenny said, closing the passenger side door; "You're still bound."

"I know I am," Ryuichi muttered, placing the key in the ignition and starting the car. Its engines purred, vibrating the passengers ever so relaxingly so that they became seconds away from forgetting their conversation.

"What do you plan on doing?"

Ryuichi shook his head, "What will it matter?"

"I'll have to watch you still…" Kenny couldn't hide the absence of distaste in his voice. The thought didn't disturb him, didn't make him furious. After all, it merely meant more time.

Exactly what he planned to do with that time- well, he wasn't so sure.

As they drove out of the driveway, past the iron gates and onto the street, Kenny could see a small group of girls at the corner. They were bundled in clothes meant for thirty degree weather; ski jackets, mittens, scarves, hoods pulled up, and worn boots. But it couldn't have been more than sixty-five outside.

Ryuichi suddenly halted the car at the stop sign, allowing Kenny for a better look at the trio. In unison, almost as if they were summoned by his perturbed gaze, they raised their heads. A shiver spurted up Kenny's spine, and he gasped- one that so undoubtedly was hidden by the sudden roaring of the car's engine as it sped down the now deserted street.

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I'm so very sorry to everybody for that horrible chapter 8. I thought I should update ASAP and try and get this chapter to make up for the last lousy one. Hope you guys liked. Not too many chapters to go… I think. Heh, so review and stay posted!

And p.s, thank you to all who reviewed, and I'm so sorry if I didn't have time to reply to anybody. I'll get back to you guys this time. :)


	11. Epilogue: Cursed

AN (Please Read): This chapter wasn't meant to be updated until the end- the epilogue. But, I'm not so sure I will be able to write the rest of this prequel, and I didn't want to deprive you guys of the ultimate KennyxJade fluff, sooo here it is. Please read and enjoy and review if you like it or have any comments! I would love to know what you think. After all, this could be the last Seeing Truth-related chapter uploaded. :'( So, anyway, read on, read on!

Also, just to let you know, this takes place at the end of Seeing Lies where Kenny and Jade are the king and queen of Loronna- the night before Kenny basically turns into Jade's worst enemy.

P.S If you would like to enhance the reading experience (:B) listen to "What Have You Done Now?" by Within Temptation. Recommended by GDL and one of the very official songs for Seeing Truth.

**_Seeing Past Darkness_**

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Epilogue: Cursed

_(Kenny's Perspective)_

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I met her in the library, her form glowing softly near the burning fireplace. She gazed up at me from the book she was reading, her dark eyes widening in surprise. Her hand glimmered, pulsating with her heartbeat, controlling my own as well. My heart swelled, and I smiled despite myself.

"Good evening," I said, joining her on the bear rug where she lay.

She smiled, but I noticed how it didn't reach her eyes. "Good evening, Kenny."

"What is Loronna's queen planning for this evening?" I asked, placing a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. She took my hand before I could pull away, and gazed dazedly at the pulsating half-Triforce piece on my skin.

"I was hoping to spend some time with you," she murmured, eyes turning to me.

I grinned, and then forced it away and looked elsewhere. "What shall we do, then?" My tone sounded worse than I had intended, and dread built inside my chest like heavy bricks gathering one by one in my ribs, pulling down my heart until every beat felt like a hammer inside my chest.

She kissed my fingertips, and I drew away. She looked up at me, eyes glinting and clear, but her expression, nonetheless, dazed and bewildered.

"Jade," I sighed, tracing my fingertips along her jaw line, "What are you doing?"

She shrugged, eyes shifting to the fire in the fireplace, "I don't know… Do I have to have a reason?"

I laughed softly, leaning forward and brushing my lips along her jaw. She was caught off guard, and I smiled again. "Sorry," I whispered, but not for the kiss.

Her lips curved upward, and I saw how her eyes squinted in delight. She took my hand, helping herself to a sitting position to eye me wistfully.

"What?" I said, raising an eyebrow. Did she know what I was doing? Terror filled my gut, and I fidgeted slightly.

She shook her head, a small smile on her lips; "Nothing. I just think your eyes are… They're so amazing."

"What?" I wouldn't deny it. What she had said completely took me off guard, and I couldn't believe she would actually say that my _eyes_ were amazing.

And then, my startled gaze floated to the wood-carved mantelpiece above the fireplace. In the glow of the flames, the empty wine glass sparkled and glazed. I shook my head, tightening my grip on her hand when she loosened hers.

"Jade," I whispered, "I thought you said you would stop?"

She laughed bitterly, pushing my hand away, "Did you really think I would?"

"Then, why did you lie?" I snapped, my calm demeanor fading away along with the embers that danced free from the burning flames in a mad attempt to scatter and live. But, no matter how hard I tried, the calmness that had once been inside of me wouldn't reappear. I was growing angry with her weakness- that she was so stupidly and naively trying to ease her pain by drinking. "Tell me, Jade." I said again after her sudden silence.

But then she looked back at me with this fierce expression quivering in her large, brown eyes; "As if you don't lie to me, as if you don't tell me things that are going to hurt me anyway…"

Mouth agape, I glared at her. My hands bunched into fists on my lap while I fought the rush of rage well inside me. I hadn't been so angry before- never felt my heart pound like some train was heading straight toward me and I couldn't move an inch. The train wasn't causing me fear, though; it was causing me anguish. I absolutely hated seeing her like this, like she had nothing else to live for. It had me in knots, tied thrice, chained, with padlocks holding it together. I was the cause of what she had become. Even if it wasn't the _real_ world, she'd still feel everything she had felt, remember everything she had seen and done. It would come back to haunt me, I understood. But it couldn't end like this. I'd simply have to change it.

I lowered my head slightly, glancing up at her (more like her pouting lips rather than her eyes) and said, "You're right, Jade. You're absolutely right. Sheikah aren't meant to lie, but I did it."

"Why?" She asked, still on the defensive.

I bit my lip in hesitation, knowing I shouldn't exactly tell her the entire truth, or there'd be hell to pay…but…she wouldn't remember all this anyway. She'd remember something completely different. "Sheikah are sworn to tell the truth, Jade," I began, slumping my shoulders in a feign attempt at looking defeated, "But I'd never had a chance to be sworn to the king."

"How is that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

I looked away- anywhere but her, "Because my family and I ran away before I was old enough."

"And your brother?" She spat, as if just by saying the word, "brother" had caused acid to drip onto her tongue.

"He's sworn." I nodded slowly. Ryuichi had a definite way with words, morphing them into something that sounded like a lie, but in reality was the utter truth…just a little twisted.

"Hmph," and then she muttered something incoherent. "Fine then…"

"That's it?" I suddenly asked, as she settled back down on the rug.

She shrugged, her attention on me lost as she returned to her book; "Was there something else?"

"I…" Whatever I had planned to tell her couldn't come until tomorrow, and I knew she had to have some sort of hatred for me- just a little to show through when this happened. That way, she'd believe what her brain told her more clearly.

So I did something I had done when _I_ was a little drunk. I placed a hand on her shoulder, catching her attention for the second I needed to press my lips against hers. The distraction allowed me to roll her onto her back. She let out a startled cry, but it was muffled as I pressed harder, forcing the cry to wait as she kissed me back. The taste of wine was on her lips and her breath- bitterly sweet. I wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing me closer to her. She didn't resist, and yet, I didn't push the fact that she was actually letting me kiss her.

But, now, I'd have to try something else. I pulled away from her, breathless. Her lips were a brighter red, her eyes blazing with something I hadn't seen before. It lit my world up, no matter how fake, and I didn't dare break my gaze. She grew calmer, leaving her heart racing, as I ran my thumb and finger down her jaw line.

"Kenny," she whispered softly, almost so that I didn't hear it.

"Hmm?"

"What is wrong with us?" Her gaze lifted to mine, and for a moment I was speechless. For a moment, I lost focus, lost the grip of this world from my fingers. As the flames in the fireplace flickered, so did the walls, so did the floor underneath us, so did her face. Her beautiful, exhausted, gaunt face- of someone that dwindled away with each second that passed… No…No! I grabbed the image back, pulled it toward me, held it close.

No, no, no.

Goddesses, no.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She voiced. It cracked unevenly. Everything flickered before me like a television screen gone awry, the colors changing, the scenery nearly fading.

"Jade," I whispered hoarsely, and then repeated it again. "Jade, goddesses, Jade. Stay with me. Please."

Faintly, at first, I heard her. "Kenny, what is it? Kenny, I'm here…always." And then, stronger, just as her warm fingers pressed against my neck, caressing softly, soothingly. "Kenny-…" Stronger this time, and I promised for it to stay this way. Without giving her another chance, I pressed against her, arm wrapped around her waist, other hand arching her neck with mine. She moaned softly, then louder, as I placed my lips to hers, molding mine to hers, hers to mine. For a moment, there was no Loronna, no Hyrule, no Link, no Kado or Liyanne, no obligations, no king or queen, no game or lies or…

Just us. Only us.

Losing breath, we parted. I held her close, twirling her dark hair around my finger, planting kisses in the crook of her neck. I could feel her heart beating under me, could feel the blood rushing through her, could hear her breaths in short gasps, taste the wine on her lips, smell it along with the scent of her- only her, see her eyes... So real.

Goddesses, how could I hurt her?

But, I did… I did by taking her hands and pulling her up from the floor. I hurt her by leading her away from the fireplace, from her safe haven away from me. I doomed her by stepping into our bedroom, by shutting the door, by letting myself and her to the bed. I killed her by kissing her. And when I killed her, I damned everyone involved.

XxxxX

Her lips were soft, her touch hesitant. She didn't know what to do anymore, didn't know what to think. Everything I would have to tell her would be another lie, another stupid lie that would lead me farther to hell. She would hate me, she would want to spit in my face and kick me to the floor. There was nothing left of the twisted truth- the one I was _meant_ to tell her. But I couldn't. I couldn't let her know I was supposed to kill her because of something she had been cursed with. She had to believe I was insane- a psychopath playing a sick game with her and her loved ones.

I would humiliate her, deceive her, anger her. I would force her into a hateful vengeance- so much she would die just to spill my blood. The game would then be over, and she would return to the real world and realize exactly what I had done.

The gamble: if she would forgive me or not. If I was lucky, she would hate my guts, and the fact that I had lied to her again- and even when she thought I had told her the truth…

She'd have to hate me…she'd have to try and kill me… Or else I would get there first. And the goddesses knew I could never kill her. Ever.

"I want you," I whispered into her ear, running a hand down her warm back.

Her lips parted, as she gazed up at me in awe. "Why?"

I smirked, "Where is the fun in telling you?"

The "game" was never fun, never inspiring. Telling her wasn't fun either; not telling her wasn't any different. And I hated seeing her being tormented. Especially since I was the one doing it- since I was the one hurting her again and again…

"Do you love me?"

Euphoria is a curse.

She smiled sleepily, hand brushing my bare chest, "That's a silly question…"

It was. She still pictured hazel green eyes and messy brown hair.

I laughed softly, taking hold of her hand and kissing her fingertips. I could smell the spilled wine on her skin, and I drew her closer toward me. "You had another drink without me?"

I had let her have that extra sip, that extra glass. She was becoming hopeless. Loronna didn't need it. Their queen would become an alcoholic if I didn't step in.

She smiled, eyes closing while she snuggled closer beside me; "I dropped the glass, though."

I played with the satin sheets between my fingertips. So real, it felt too good to be true. And it wasn't.

Her hand wrapped tighter around my waist, making my heart jump into a race, pounding inside my chest. "I love you," I whispered so softly into her hair before I kissed her head. Her smell nearly intoxicated me, and I closed my eyes merely to relinquish the feeling longer.

Tomorrow.

I broke her heart.

Tomorrow.

I did what I should have done a long time ago.

"I'll always want you, you know?" I mumbled, kissing her forehead.

She sighed, halfway to dreamland. "I know…" And then, so softly that I feared it had merely been my imagination, she whispered. "I love you, too, Kenny Blake."

X

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AN (Please Read): Ahh, I think this is the most cheese I've ever written in one chapter so far, and it makes me proud. Haha. Hope y'all enjoyed. The second part I wrote a while back so that's probably why it doesn't fit very well, but I couldn't just take it out because it contained a lot of things that Kenny really needed to say. Anyway, if this had been in SL I think much of what happens in SAON would be clearer- why KennyxJade happened, why KadoxJade didn't happen. All that stuff.

Also, I'll be making a ST Q&A chapter that will be posted at the end of SDL soon, so check it out once in a while if you're interested to have all your questions answered. If you have any you would like to ask, please don't hesitate to review or PM or leave a message on my DA account.

Anyway, SPD isn't officially discontinued, but not exactly on hiatus either. I feel like this chap really needed to be read so I got it up before anything else. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and don't forget to tell me what you think! And thank you!! For all the awesome people who have stuck around! I know I said this at the end of SDL but still- thank you!!

xblux


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